The Mage's Wish
by korovee
Summary: So. Fai's a kid now. Kuro has to watch him now...And Fai's not supposed to remember anything. He's trying his best to be good, really, but what if he decides kuro-burro's boring? We...are...done.
1. A Mistake

Chapter One

The Mage's Wish

Everything was both wonderful and horrible to him right now. Beautiful how- to his eyes-the stunning scenery glistened all around him. The cherry blossoms blooming high in the branches and the crystal-clear river singing quietly nearby. But it was still horrible. The deep red that stained that stained his light blue yukata, the infernal color that sprayed onto the ground. The blood seeping onto the cold unforgiving ground, and the crimson eyes that stared back up weakly at his own. Kurogane smiled softly, reaching up to touch his paling cheek. His fingers were fire to icy skin.

"I-Idiot…" Kurogane coughed harshly, trembling violently under Fai's grip.

"No! Yuuko-san!!"

Fai looked towards the pond nearby, Mokona fast asleep while Yuuko's image reflected in the wavering surface. The witch looked at the silver glowing ball in the palm of her hand before handing it to Watanuki. She motioned for him to leave the room before speaking to Fai.

"Help him-

"Stop…" Kurogane tugged harshly at Fai's robe's through clenched fingers. "Don't do it, it's alright..."

"What did you wish for?" Demanded Fai in fear, even though he already knew the answer. Kurogane was starting to lose the color of his face.

Kurogane grimaced and his grip slackened. "You should be a little happier now, so don't even try to fake it this time. "

"Kuro-rin, what did you wish for?" Panic was beginning to bite at his throat, and the lack of blood starting to make Kurogane awfully pale.

"If you keep on looking like that, I won't feel very good about this decision."

"What was your wish?" Fai's voice was getting more and more shrill with every time he asked the question over and over again.

"Your curse is gone now...You can live a good life now-"Kurogane cut off, falling into a violent fit of coughs. When he recovered, he was shaking. "I took a part of the curse as my price, that part that kills-"

"BUT WHY?!" Fai was almost in hysterics, Kurogane scowling softly as his eyes began closing. His breathing was becoming more heavy and shallow; it was only a matter of time….

"Idiot…"Repeated Kurogane gently, smiling at the end. "Why….do you…think…."

His eyes slowly closed, Fai going deathly pale as he turned to Yuuko again. "Yuuko-san stop it! Please!!"

"Make the wish then." Yuuko turned to Watanuki, telling him something before looking back at Fai. She held something out towards Mokana's face and a few seconds later, it had been shot out into Fai's palm. A bright blue light was levitating, glowing. Fai looked up at the witch curiously.

"What's the price?" Yuuko grinned, pointing back at Watanuki, whom was blushing furiously in the background. "Let's just say that this time that it's on the house."

Fai smiled lightly, but his smile faded at the sound of his companion's harsh breathing. "What do I do?"

"Eat it. Don't worry; Kurogane will be fine once you do. "

Fai nodded, hardly even listening to her instructions. He opened his mouth slowly….

* * *

WHATOHNOESITSACLIFFHANGERWHATSHALLWEEVERDOWHYMUSTTHEREALWAYSBEACLIFFHANGER

* * *

"Will Fai-san be alright?" Watanuki asked nervously as Yuuko held up a pearl white jar up to the light. She nodded slowly but froze. She knitted her eye brows tightly before frowning. "There's a leak in here. That shouldn't have happened. Something's wrong-"

She turned to face her assistant. "You said you made the spell yourself after I gave you the instructions. Did you add the water from the well AFTER or BEFORE you added the cherry blossoms from Doumeki's shrine?"

Immediately, Watanuki faced the ground, his face burning with shame. "After, but I forgot to add a piece of the dream balloons from the dream merchants strings…"

Yuuko grinned, starring at the bottle. "Well, it was a good mistake anyhow. But this is going to be a very interesting spell for a very long time…"

LATER ON (HOMGS IT'S _ANOTHER_ CLIFFHANGER?!)

Kurogane awoke to the sound of crying and screams. He sat up tiredly, and starred at the door before deciding to make his way towards it. It was late afternoon, and the day was blazing hot, but he really didn't care about that. He just cared about what had woken him up, which by the sounds of it, was down the hall in the dining room. He pulled the door open, and his eyebrows flew up in surprise.

The room was destroyed, blankets and dishes thrown about the room and several broken ornaments lying discarded on the floor. Syaoran and Sakura looked over their shoulders at the tall ninja from where the hid behind the table, both of the teens eyes wide with panic.

"What's going on?!" He demanded but was cut of abruptly when Sakura pressed a finger over her lips.

"Shhh!" She whispered in fear, glancing over her shoulder every so often. "You'll scare-"

She screamed as another vase went flying in the air. Syaoran, being the hero he is, tacked the princess to the ground, and Kurogane simply dodged the attempted assault, looking wildly around the room. His 

eyes met a small bundle of blankets in the back of the room and a noise emitting from it that sounded suspiciously like sniffling.

He marched over towards the bundle angrily, beginning to pry off all of the blankets. "Alright, you can stop it now. I don't know what you have against the kids here, but that doesn't mean you have the right to-"

The blanket dropped to its death dramatically, and he started to lose color again. Syaoran had pinned himself to the wall, Kurogane joining him a few seconds after. Sakura was the only brave one as she walked to and past the oh-so-fearless-ninja carefully.

"I think he was looking for you Kurogane-san." She whispered gently as she bent down, but it went unheard because a little blue eyed toddler has attached himself to Kurogane's leg. He looked up at the princess with doubt sketched into his wide eyes.

"D-Do you mean that this is…." He couldn't even finish the sentence before the blonde decided to start climbing up his leg.

"Oh no-Fai-san, you shouldn't do that, it's not- oh…" Sakura paused at the sound of a sharp intake of air.

There was a large thump when Kurogane finally hit the ground.

* * *

A/N: …free cookies if review? :D It'll be shorter next chapter….i think..Anywho's enjoy!


	2. Explanations

Chapter 2

"I'm supposed to be dead." Kurogane insisted stubbornly as Tomoyo tried to explain what had happened for the third time in a row. "I was supposed to die and leave Fai alive at the same age he was. But then the witch-"

Yuuko sighed in despair and took a large swig of her wine. "He's not listening to us again, is he?"

"Well, he's not a very good listener to begin with, remember?"

"Ah yes, and thus you having sent him to my shop in the first place."

Kurogane frowned, running his hand through his hair irritably. "Alright, I get it, the witch didn't interfere. But at least stop talking like I'm not here."

"Okay!" Tomoyo turned to face the ninja again, positively beaming. It scared him a bit, making him wonder what kind of devious plot the princess had in store for him next.

Something moved and mumbled below their eyes, making the entire room's occupant's look down. Fai smiled happily, sleeping calmly on the ninja's lap, completely unaware of the trouble he was causing to the poor warriors brain.

"So, Fai took it upon himself to save you from death." Began Tomoyo slowly, pointing at the little blonde boy. "But in order to do that-"

She held out her arms as far she could, smirking as she did.

"-He had to pay a _very_ big price."

Kurogane's frowned deepened, glaring at his princess. "I'm not stupid, don't talk to me like a child."

Yuuko grinned in amusement. "Watanuki offered to pay for all of it, and his price was to make the spell under my directions. The spell would remove the deathly part of the curse, and Fai's memories would be the base of destroying it. But even though the curse is gone, the spell didn't work."

Kurogane sighed, blowing air up to one of the longer strands of hair that hung loosely in front of his face. "What went wrong…?" He muttered impatiently.

"Nothing too major. Fai's memories will eventually return, you won't die, and Watanuki didn't have to make a large sacrifice to keep both of you alive."

That caught the ninja's attention. "_Both of us?_"

Tomoyo and Yuuko exchanged looks worriedly before the princess turned to face him again. "Kurogane…Did you really think Fai would happily stay alive if you had died like that? It would've killed him!"

Kurogane blushed a deep shade of red, and cleared his throat. "Anyways…so nothing major happened…"

He held up a sleeping Fai from under his arms. The position didn't look very comfortable actually, and Fai didn't think so either. He shifted in his sleep unhappily. "Explain how HIM being a little kid is _nothing too major!_"

Yuuko sighed. "That was the side affect. Fai all his memories up to the age of around 3 or 5 so it's only fitting that he have the body and mind to match it. Plus,"  
She added, sending a grin over to Tomoyo's direction. "It's pretty cute."

Kurogane scowled. "So I'm the only one who can break the curse?"

"Yes."

"Why?!"

"Because I said so." Yuuko grinned even wider at the sight of Kurogane beginning to lose his patience. Sakura and Syaoran were coming into to the room when they were stopped dead in their tracks by two things.

Kurogane's yell and a VERY loud cry.

When he'd yelled, he pointed at Yuuko accusingly…dropping Fai. Syaoran dove to catch his former companion, catching him before he hit the floor. Fai was wailing by the time Syaoran had stood up and handed him to Sakura, having absolutely no idea what had just happened.

Tomoyo nodded encouragingly to the other princess, motioning for her and her guardian to leave the room. Sakura obliged, blushing furiously as she carried out the room, Syaoran following close behind. Tomoyo brought her attention back to the original person, giggling softly as she saw Kurogane's expression.

He looked like a child whom had been lectured. He was looking at his feet, blushing lightly as he tried to not look guilty.

"But why a kid?" he mumbled crossly.

"Because I felt like it." Teased Yuuko, but continuing. "Besides, I thought it would be entertaining seeing as you're too embarrassed to show a soft side in front of all of us."

He blushed harder and scowled, storming out of the room only to be stopped shortly when he bumped into someone half his size. Sakura's face went bright and she held out Fai. It looked like she was offering him up as a gift instead of handing him to the ninja.

Fai sniffled in a hurt manner, staring back into crimson eyes.

"H-He wants you Kurogane-san!" She stammered.

Kurogane picked up Fai the same way he'd done before, and frowned. He had no idea what to do with kids- heck, he could barely manage with those two, and they were older than Fai now! That wasn't including the manju, but it was sleeping now, like it had been for a while now…

Fai rubbed his eyes with tiny palms, clutching at the black yukata's sleeves when Kurogane moved his arms.

"K-Kuro-chi!" The room was dead quiet when Fai spoke. He couldn't have looked any happier though as he grinned cutely and curled up against Kurogane's chest. "Kuro-ri!"

Tomoyo coughed quietly, trying to suppress her laughter as Kurogane turned to face the witch.

"I THOUGHT HE-HOW DID HE REMEMBER THOSE NICKNAMES?!"

Yuuko grinned. "Who knows? Children are fast learners."  
"WITCH!!"

* * *

Poor Kuro. He suffers so. lolz, i'm enjoying having to torture him in the cute ways of Fai tho...its to irresistable XD; Thankz for the reviews, both on Fanfic. and on Deviantart!


	3. MAGIC TIME! lols

**Chapter 3**

"You should take care of him." Suggested Tomoyo in a whisper as she watched Fai drift off into sleep on Kurogane's bed. The blonde was curled up in a tight ball, covered by a warm thick blue blanket, courtesy of Yuuko.

"Are you joking?!" He frowned when Tomoyo shushed him. "I can't take care of a kid damn it!"

"Shh!" repeated the Princess, smiling. "Don't you know he's sleeping? You have to be quieter. And you can't go around cussing like that around a child!"

"See?!" insisted Kurogane in a lower tone. "I'm no good at this. I don't even know what to do when he's hurt! I don't even like kids."

"Kurogane," began Tomoyo. "You stuck around with Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan all this time, didn't you?"

Kurogane scowled. "The manju and him were enough trouble as it was before, what about now?"

Tomoyo sighed, shaking her head and getting up from her spot on the floor. "Well, as your princess, I order you to take care of Fai-chan until the curse is broken. Also, no complaining and the only people you can ask for help are a few servants, and Syaoran."

Kurogane blinked. "Why not the Princess too?" He wasn't to sure about Syaoran. The boy meant well, yeah, but he couldn't even watch over the Princess-AND SHE WAS HIS AGE! …He would never manage a child.

"No." stated Tomoyo in an as-a-matter-a-fact tone. She smiled proudly. "She's too cute to do such a hard job."

"If it's such a hard job, why did you give it to me then?"

Tomoyo patted him on his shoulder as she left, grinning. "You're the best of our ninja in Nihon, right?" She said as she walked out of the room. "Here's your number one chance to prove it!"

He was still fuming by the time she'd gone. Kurogane looked back at Fai; the toddler was beginning to awaken. Fai beamed at the sight of his favorite ninja, reaching out form him gleefully. Kurogane sighed, picking him up and seating him comfortably in the crook of his arm.

"Kuro-wa!" Fai smiled; delighted at the grimace he'd received in return. He clutched to the black fabric, curling closely to Kurogane's chest.

It was then, that Kurogane realized he was floating.

It took a few moments for him to believe it, and another couple of moments for Mokona to appear in the room with the two other teens, answering his yells of surprise and rage.

Sakura immediately gasped, reaching out for the giggling Fai.

"No! Fai-san, you can't do that, please stop- AH!" Sakura held onto Syaoran's shirt for dear life as she began to rise into the air. "I-I'm sorry Kurogane-san, it's just that- Fai-san's magic- he can't-"

"He can't control it when he's emotionally happy or distressed." Finished Yuuko, calmly brushing her hair and watching them float around.

"Make it stop!" yelled Kurogane as Syaoran began to rise too.

"Why don't you try putting him to sleep?" Offered up Yuuko.

Sakura shook her head violently. "It still goes on!"

"Hm…" Yuuko examined the situation for a moment, observing Fai quietly. Fai stared at her with a happy grin plastered on his face. Yuuko laughed quietly before giving out her conclusion.

"Kurogane, why don't you just ask him to stop?"

"We've tried that, it doesn't work," began Sakura, but Yuuko interrupted calmly. "Has Kurogane tried?"

Sakura hesitated. "Well, no…"

"Then let him try." Encouraged the Dimensional Witch, smiling. Kurogane looked at Fai, feeling foolish. "Fai, stop it."

Fai blinked, and lowered his eyes guiltily to the floor. They fell to the ground with a thud, spending at least a minute afterwards rubbing their sides to lessen their pain.

"Ah, will you look at that?" murmured Yuuko quietly, watching Fai sheepishly play with his toes. "He tricked us too…"

"I thought he gave up his magic to you before all of this?" snapped Kurogane irritably.

"He was born with magic Kurogane, I only took what he'd gained after this are. Anything he lost or gained before he was turned into a child never happened, so therefore, I never took his magic away."

"Will it be like that later on too?"

Yuuko sighed. "I don't know, apparently not only did Watanuki mess up on the spell, Fai didn't willingly give up everything he had. I don't know what he blocked us from taking, but you'll find out with time." Yuuko grinned devilishly. "But apparently, he seems to only like you."

He blushed as he stood, and was about to answer back when whimpers interrupted him yet again. Fai looked up at him, looking rather hurt and by the sound of it, threatening to cry some time soon…

"Well, I have some matters to attend to. Good luck on your mission Kuro-papa." Kurogane was still cursing under his breath after Mokona had closed the connections.

Fai tugged on Kurogane's sleeves, trying to catch his attention. Kurogane sat down on the floor, giving Fai a stern look even as he looked straight into those large adorable blue eyes. "No ma-gi?"

"No magic." He answered firmly. Fai shrunk in his tiny yukata. "You can't use magic anymore."

Fai nodded quietly, reaching for him again, arms stretched out wide. Kurogane looked over at Sakura uncertainly, who actually seemed to have a general idea of what Fai's gestures always meant.

"He wants a hug." She exclaimed, positively beaming at the idea.

Kurogane, on the other hand, had his face flush as red as a tomato, and stood up abruptly. He excused himself from the room, leaving Fai behind, the toddler sticking out his tongue in a fit.

* * *

"**KUROGANE**!!"

The oh-so-mighty-ninja groaned, hiding under his blankets in a very childlike manner. Tomoyo burst into the room dramatically and gave out a cry of triumph, marching over to the bed and tearing away the covers. "**YOU CAN'T HIDE! GET OUT THERE AND PROVE THAT YOU'RE A MAN**!"

"GO AWAY DAMN IT, THE WITCH SAID BOTH OF US NEEDS TO SLEEP AS MUCH AS WE CAN! I ALREADY SAID I'D DO IT TOMMOROW, NOW LET ME SLEEP!!" He roared back, sitting up immediately.

"It's Fai." Tomoyo continued, ignoring the enraged expression she'd received when Kurogane realized that she wasn't paying any attention to him. "He took your words to heart about not using magic."

She grinned as a scream emitted from the kitchens nearby. "He's using his hands now."

Kurogane scowled, jumping off his bed and marching full speed to the dining room. Fai looked up and gave him a dirty glare as he entered the room before throwing his chopsticks aside. A few servants cowered at the other side of the room, a few shattered bowls lying nearby.

"Did I mention he's still mad at you?"Asked Tomoyo from outside, Kurogane slowly sitting down in front of him. Fai scowled, turning away.

"You have to eat." Said Kurogane, reaching for the abandoned plate and chopsticks. Fai stuck out his tongue, and resumed to his silent protest. Kurogane rolled his eyes and gave the utensils to a brave servant nearby. "Alright, I'm sorry, now stop having a fit and eat, I need to sleep."

Fai immediately lit up, positively beaming, but quickly turned away when the servant offered him food. Instead, he looked up expectantly at the ninja.

"Kuro-wa?"

He blushed but grabbed the plate and held out the already rice-holding chopsticks. Fai opened his mouth and closed it over the food. The servant girls were all in shock-Imagine! The strongest ninja in all of Nihon-** FEEDING A CHILD?!**

Tomoyo laughed quietly. "It's nice to see you two getting along again…"

* * *

Ah….I have fun messing with Kuro-puu's pride and joy of being a manly ninja XD;

Next chapter : Fish and Kids

Lols, just to warn you. (A worrying ninja + Hein + baby Fai + dead fish dinners NON COMPATIBLE)


	4. Fish and Kids

Chapter 4

Fish and Kids

Silence dominated the training grounds right now. Not a single ninja or student dared to speak right now. Kurogane loomed over them menacingly.

"_Do I have to repeat myself again?!_" He growled, his hand twitching as though to reach his sword. "HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN HIM?"

No one answered. One of the students sneezed. Kurogane threw him a piercing glare that left him sobbing in fear. Tomoyo sighed tragically. "Really Kurogane, must you scare them so?" She murmured as she watched from her balcony. "They were only training, no need to get so snappy with them…"

"Kurogane-san? What are you doing?" Kurogane looked over his shoulder and relaxed. It was the Princess and the kid. Fai was clinging tightly to Sakura's shoulders.

"Nothing." He dismissed the castle's protectors and trainee's with a wave of his hand. Two of the teenagers fainted. "Where was he?"

"Fai-san?" Syaoran blinked. "We went out to the river this morning, and caught some fish to eat, but he started crying the minute I started to cut them up – See?"

Syaoran held up a string of dead fish and pushed it closer to Fai. Fai whimpered and buried his face into Sakura's shoulder. Mokona snored loudly from atop Syaoran's head.

"Why did you take him somewhere without asking me first? Or at least telling me?" Kurogane looked a little bit crazed, his eye was twitching and he looked as though he hadn't slept for days…which he hadn't.

"I'm…sorry?" Syaoran was inching away slowly, pushing the princess back as he went.

Kurogane made noise similar to a laugh, and lowered his gaze. Fai reached out cheerily and giggled as Kurogane reluctantly picked up the little mage and hung him from his shoulder. He cleared his throat and turned away.

"Well, at least your back…" He stomped off back to the castle. Syaoran and Sakura waved away awkwardly back to Fai. Fai grinned from the ninja's shoulder and waved even more furiously.

"Do you think he was worried?" asked Sakura suddenly, earning a shocked expression in return. She turned to look at Syaoran worriedly. "Should I go ask?"

He shivered internally and shook his head immediately, pushing away all thoughts of what could happen if she did. Then he turned her around and started pushing her to the kitchen. "Better not."

Mokona snored.

* * *

Kurogane grimaced and looked out the window, sighing upon seeing the blaring red sun. Then, again, upon hearing the cries. With a sigh, he rose out of the bed and made his way to the dining room, scooping up Fai with out a pause and with ease, plopped down to the floor again.

He stared down at the plate though, before attempting to use the chopsticks and rolled his eyes. "You are so picky." He muttered with a glare, pushing the plate away. "Bring me a plate of rice and fry the fish."

The servant starred at him blankly, flinching when he threw her a new intensified glare. "_Go get the rice, and fry the fish NOW._"

She ran out like the hounds of hell were at her feet.

Tomoyo snickered lightly as she entered the room. "Decide to change his diet Kurogane?" She sat down next to him and grinned. "Or is it something else?"

The servant came back in a rush, almost tripping, but luckily, landing smoothly on her knees in front of Kurogane. She offered him the food. He grabbed the bowls and after placing both on the floor, began feeding Fai his dinner.

"He doesn't like raw fish. If you want to feed him fish next time, cook it. Oh, and by the way," He added, smiling lightly when Fai gave him a sticky smile. Rice stuck to his cheeks. "Don't feed him so late, try feeding him at least a few hours before you send him to bed. Its not good for you to sleep after you eat."

Tomoyo snickered as the flustered servant nodded rapidly at Kurogane's instructions.

"Also," Kurogane wiped Fai's mouth form excess rice, receiving a giggle in return. "Has he taken a bath today?"

The girls blush was all he needed for an answer. Syaoran opened the door. "Good evening." He said, sliding Hien's sheath in the rope belt. He'd been practicing all afternoon and now, it was time for dinner by his standards, but he'd barely finished putting away his sword when Fai was shoved back into his arms. "You're all muddy. Go take a bath. And while you're at it, give him one too."

Syaoran blinked and watched in shock as his mentor started to leave. "B-But, Kurogane-san, where are you going?"

"To bed." He muttered as he stretched. Tomoyo grinned at him. "Turning into quite a fine father, aren't we?" She teased.

Kurogane ignored her and continued, about to leave the room when Tomoyo spoke again.

"You know, it's not that he just doesn't like raw food." She called out. "He only eats without a fuss when you feed him!"

She watched as he paused, blushed, muttered a good few curses and stormed out of the room without another word. He may be the best ninja in all Japan, but he could still be conquered with just a few words nowadays.

**Short isn't it? Sorry, but if i added the Saku-Syao fluff i wanted, it would be too long...XD;;  
****Anny ways, i just gave you spoilers on whats next so, i let you chew on that for a few days and then update. Depends if i can finish typing Chapt 5 by tommorow. I leaving for Montana for a few days and then, i need to do ALOT of work -- i skipped doing my summer homework until now lols. It might take a while so please be patient...**

**hugz and luvz to all my readers and reviewers,**

**Korovee**


	5. Bath time and Snow

Chapter 5

Bath Time and Snow

"NO BATH!!" Syaoran stared helplessly at the tear-threatening toddler, unsure of what to do. "Please Fai-san?"

"NO BATH!" He hollered even louder, sniffing as he said it. "NO BATH, NO BATH, NO BATH!!"

There was a hesitant knock on the door. "S-Syaoran-kun, is everything okay?"

Syaoran blushed and sighed. "Y-Yes princess, everything's alright!" He looked back to Fai, his eyes pleading for mercy. "Please Fai-san? The water is really warm and everything, see?"

He dipped his hand in the hot water and lifted it out to press it against his cheek. It was a bad move. Fai struggled and managed to worm out of Syaoran's grip. He fell onto the floor with a loud thud. Sakura ignored all rules of etiquette and ran inside, gasping upon seeing Fai crying on the floor. "What happened?"

"NO BATH, NO BATH, NO BATH, NO BATH!!" He sat sobbing on the ground, crying at the top of his lungs. He even pushed away attempts to be picked up.

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF -- I AM TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP!!" Kurogane threw the door open, standing menacingly over all of them. "IS IT REALLY SO HARD TO GIVE HIM A BATH?! AND I THOUGH TOMOYO SENT YOU TO GIVE HIM A DUCK TO PLAY WITH?!"

Sakura blushed and shrunk a little. Syaoran frowned and stood up to confront his mentor. "He won't listen, I've been trying for the past half hour, he doesn't want a bath!"

Kurogane looked at the princess. "Offer him the duck."

Sakura hesitated. "Offer him his stupid rubber duck already!!" She flinched and immediately held it out to him. Fai stopped crying and stared at it. Then he beamed. "DUCKIE!!"

He reached out and attacked the duck, hugging it tightly against his chest. "Duckie…"

"See?" Kurogane relaxed and leaned against the wall. "That's his favorite toy, he won't take a bath without it."

"K-Kurogan--"

"Thank you Kurogane-san."

"B-But Kurogane-san. You were the one who gave me duck --"

"Goodnight."

"B-But Kurogane-san--"

"I said goodnight." He slammed the door shut behind him.

Sakura and Syaoran stared. "…Did he really?" asked Syaoran after a moment of silence.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I wonder why he lied…"

Syaoran cleared his throat loudly, and blushed. "Um…Is there anything else you need?"

Sakura blinked, blushing upon realizing that Syaoran still sitting on the edge of the bath. "N-No, nothing, good night…" She smiled lightly and quietly slipped out the door. Syaoran looked toward Fai, who was happily playing with his duck on the floor. Fai grinned as Syaoran picked him up, and giggled as he was dropped into the water.

Syaoran sighed. "Finally." He murmured, slipping into the water too. It was soothingly warm, relaxing his muscles. He smiled as he watched Fai swim around in the water, his duck barely a few inches away from him--

"Fai-san? _Fai-san?!_" Syaoran shot up out of the water, looking wildly around the water. He paled at the sight of no movement in the water, when something hit his leg. Hard. "OWW!"

He fell back into the water, holding his knee tightly. Fai burst out of the water giggling, clinging to Syaoran's waist tightly in joy. "That hurt." Complained Syaoran lightly, wincing as he moved his leg out. "What did you do, shoot it at me?"

He held up the rubber duck unhappily, and gave it back to Fai. "Stay still so I can wash your head." He lifted him up from under his arms and placed him on his lap. Fai huffed but stayed still anyways, while Syaoran calmly shampooed his head.

"Shaowan?" Fai ducked his head lower, drawing circles into the water's surface. "Why Kuro-wah mean?"

Syaoran blinked and turned to look at Fai in the face. "Why do you ask that?" He asked in surprise.

Fai shrugged, shifting uncomfortably, but didn't answer. Syaoran sighed and started pouring hot water over Fai's head, brushing off the suds. "Kurogane-san is really nice Fai-san; he's just…um…really _awkward_ about it, that's all." Syaoran smiled and lifted Fai out of the bath, covering him with a towel. Fai laughed as Syaoran towel dried his hair gruffly and put him in a tiny blue yukata. "Just give him time, he'll come around."

Fai snuggled warmly in his yukata and waited until Syaoran was dry and dressed before reaching out to be picked up. Syaoran obliged, tucking the blonde into the crook of his arm as he walked out the door. Fai yawned loudly and was about to curl up against his chest when they passed Kurogane's room. "Kuro-wah!"

He reached out for the past door, almost falling out of Syaoran's arms, Syaoran barely catching him in time. "You want to sleep with him tonight?" He asked in surprise, balancing Fai's weight out in his arms again. "Are you sure? Won't Kurogane-san be a little angry if you wake him up?"

Fai scowled angrily, and shook his head. "No wakey!" He pointed at the door urgently. Syaoran sighed and quietly slid the door open. "Kurogane-san? Are you awake?"

"…now I am…"Muttered Kurogane sleepily. He didn't even sound half awake, and since he was on his side, Syaoran couldn't tell if he was actually awake or just sleep talking.

"Fai-san wants to sleep in here tonight, is that okay?"

Kurogane grunted lowly and shifted. "…mhm…"

Syaoran waited for a moment until a low snore rose from Kurogane's sleeping form and shrugged. "Alright then," He said quietly, carefully placing Fai down on Kurogane's bed. "I guess its okay. Have a good night's sleep, okay?"

Fai nodded tiredly, curled up against Kurogane's back and sighed. "Nigh-nigh Shaowan…"

Syaoran smiled and nodded, closing the door behind him. Fai smiled warmly, his cheeks flushing red as he clung tightly to Kurogane's back. It was so warm and made him feel so _good…_

It was much better than that icy palace he'd once called home.

* * *

Another yell awoke the castle this brilliant morning, in fact, it sounded even more unhappy that before. Kurogane fell with a loud thud as he tried to stand on the now iced over floor. Fai giggled insanely on the bed, rolling over with laughter as Kurogane glared up at him.

"YOU FROZE MY ROOM—HOW DID YOU EVEN GET IN HERE?!" He attempted another failed attempt to rise to his feet and pointed at his icicle bed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Fai blinked innocently, his grin the only thing that gave him away. "FORGET THAT, HOW DID YOU DO IT?!"

Fai deepened his brow in thought for a moment, his face scrunched up in pure deep thought. Then he relaxed, giving him a full out happy grin. "No Know!"

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!!"

Fin of Chapitre' 5

**_"I'll Update in a week or so if possible. School starts this wednesday. YAY!" -Korovee_**


	6. Hide and Go Seek?

**I love you guys. For all your reviews, and everything, all the support and luv you send me. It brings joy to my heart, knowing you love my baby boy. Lolz, yes, my story is my baby, as i consider it, and it is a boy because Fai is the baby of the story lolz. Fai and babyness is love. Reviews are love too. So is chapter 6 XD;; Oh. And I don't own TRC, I'm only 15 and i need to finish my own manga before trying to fake my ownership on another lolz**

Chapter 6

"_He froze my room!!"_ defended Kurogane angrily, huffing like a child in time out as he plopped down on the floor. Fai giggled, crawling onto Kurogane's lap. "WHY is he not going to be in trouble?"

Tomoyo ignored the ninja's childish antics and continued speaking. "You two will have to sleep in Syaoran's room for the next few days while we melt and clean up the water in your room Kurogane, so that it doesn't damage the floors."

"You little weasel…"grumbled Kurogane, picking Fai up by the waist and dropping his on his knee. Fai only laughed. Syaoran glanced worriedly at the pair and shifted uncomfortably. "Um, Tomoyo-san, why can't they have their own room?"

Tomoyo sipped her tea calmly. "Because we will have some important royal guests coming to visit the castle, and we need the other rooms to accommodate them. "

Kurogane didn't raise his gaze to look at the princess, instead beginning to tickle Fai on the stomach. Fai burst into giggles, rolling around in the ninja's lap as he laughed. "Guests? What guests?"

"Some people from neighboring countries, just a peaceful visit. By the way, for this visit Kurogane, would you mind pretending that Fai is your child?" Tomoyo spoke smoothly, as though it were no big deal. Kurogane, on the other hand, blushed, as though it_ was_ a big deal.

"T-That's absurd…" He muttered, staring down at Fai in embarrassment. "Completely impossible."

"It's the only logical explanation we can give for Fai being here-"

"I refuse to do it Tomoyo; I'm not going to do it."

"Kurogane, all you have to do is guide them around the castle and-"

"And tell them that he's my kid. No – He doesn't even look anything like me! I can't just go around and pretend he's my-my—"

"Your child?" offered Sakura helpfully, only accomplishing to make Kurogane's blush even darker.

"It was just a suggestion, "continued Tomoyo, smiling. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"W-Well, why can't it be theirs?" He demanded bluntly, pointing at Syaoran and Sakura, who in turn, flushed pink and looked to the floor. Fai complained quietly at being called an 'it'.

"Kurogane, they're too young to be parents, even though they are clearly ready for it." Answered Tomoyo, causing the teens to turn even redder. "It won't look good to have an orphan child alone in the building and even worse to have a couple of children pose as his parents."

"Fine, fine…"muttered Kurogane, poking and tickling Fai lightly on the stomach. Fai laughed even harder, rolling on his sides.

"We could pose as his older siblings." Offered Syaoran suddenly. "We could take care of him on the other side of the castle while Kurogane-san is busy, and bring him back at night."

Kurogane praised his apprentice internally at the thought when Tomoyo agreed that it was good idea, thanking the gods for making his apprentice so smart. No one, unfortunately, could tell that even at his current age and state, Fai could hear and understand every single thing that they were saying about him the whole time. And he didn't like Syaoran's new plan at all, and didn't consider at all following the plan…

* * *

"Fai-san? Fai-san!" Sakura whispered under her breath as she looked under the blankets and bed. "Syaoran-kun, have you found him yet?"

"No Princess, I haven't." Called back Syaoran quietly and froze as a number of footsteps passed by their room. They waited until the sounds diminished to start moving around again. "I thought he couldn't walk yet?"

Sakura frowned worriedly. "I thought he couldn't either…Where do you think he went?"

Syaoran shook his head nervously, looking at the door. "If I had to guess, he's probably trying to find Kurogane-san right now…" He shivered at the thought of what Kurogane would do if he found out they had lost his charge…

* * *

Kurogane felt a chill run down his spine and looked over his shoulder for the hundredth time, and again, finding no one there. He frowned even further, and leaned against a pillar, waiting for the guests to finish examining the castle artifacts. He felt as though someone was following him, but he could never find someone there, and it didn't feel like a very strong threat, so—

Something white obscured his vision, and his first impulse was to pull out his sword and slice the manju into a thousand pieces, but he restrained himself and merely removed it from his face. He turned and hid behind the pillar and gave the pork bun a death glare. "_You crazy meat bun, what the hell are you doing?!" _He hissed angrily. Mokona giggled quietly and practically shone with excitement. "Playing hide and seek with Fai. He's winning!"

"Hide and seek—Wait, _YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HIM?!"_

"Silly Kuro-buro, of course I can't, that's the whole point of the game!!"

Kurogane growled under his breath and threw the manju out of the room, where it bounced off the floor with a squeak. He glanced around wildly, searching for any signs of Fai. He saw nothing. Half relieved and half worried beyond belief, he walked around slowly, trying not to catch any attention…Syaoran and Sakura slipped into the room, but caught his eye and shrunk in fear, about to apologize when someone spoke.

"Oh. What's this?"

They froze and slowly turned to stare at the guest who spoke. He was the only one in heavy warm clothes, and the only one wearing a hood the whole time, so no one had seen his face. But as he stood up, picking up something white and blue that had been in the corner, his hood fell off, exposing his face to everyone's view. Fai began to awake from his sleep, having been bored by waiting for his favorite ninja, but froze almost immediately upon seeing who it was. Ashura blinked.

"What were you doing here?"

Fai stiffened with fear and grew pale as he gave out an ear-piercing scream. Anyone who hadn't seen Ashura before saw him now. Fai burst into tears, struggling to be let free of Ashura's shocked grasp. He kicked Ashura and bit down on his arm hard. Ashura broke out of shock and dropped him. Fai fell and hit the ground, his cries of despair only increasing.

Sakura and Syaoran raced over to his side, but could barely lift him due to all of the struggling he was going in their hands. Fai fell from their arms and sobbing, reached out for Kurogane. He automatically scooped Fai into his arms and let the toddler cling to him. He blushed lightly, but let Fai cry into his shirt and returned to leaning against the wall, humming quietly so only Fai could hear.

The guests hastily returned to their previous businesses, trying to ignore the sobs. Even Ashura was awkwardly pretending that nothing was happening. Fai curled against Kurogane's chest fearfully, rubbing his eyes with tight fists. "You done crying now?" asked Kurogane softly.

Fai didn't answer, only sniffling softly again. Kurogane motioned to him about giving him to Sakura, but Fai cried out hurtfully and clung to him even more. Kurogane made a hurt expression. "You can't stay with me the whole day, at least not today—"

"Kurogane, you can take the day off now." Tomoyo smiled as she entered the room, walking over to the ninja in small dance-like steps. She softly stroked Fai's head, brushing his golden soft locks aside. "Don't worry about the guests, Sohma and I will take care of them for the rest of the day."

Kurogane grimaced, but nodded, striding out of the room quickly, Syaoran and Sakura struggling to keep up. "Kurogane-san, wait, where are you going?"

"Out." And with that, they stopped dead in their tracks, letting Kurogane and Fai walk away.

**wow. What drama. **

…**.reviews are luv….**

**So are watchers and favs….**

**You're all luv.**


	7. Relaxation

Chapter 7

Relaxation

"There was a street fair today?" Kurogane stared out at the crowded streets, and shrugged. He never really paid attention to what the villagers did in their spare time, or what they were planning. Fai's soft whimper as he curled up against his side brought him back to the present. He looked up at red eyes.

"Kuro-wa? Ashuwa-ou…" Kurogane stared down at Fai's worried eyes and blushed, but gently placed his hand on his head. "You're fine, it wasn't –"

He paused. As smart as Fai seemed (and was), how was he going to explain to a toddler that the person you were afraid of, wasn't the one he'd seen. If he said that there were two Ashura's, Fai may have taken that in a way that wasn't meant to be understood as. "You're fine." He decided finally, balancing Fai in the crook of his arm. "He won't be here."

Fai relaxed and nodded, smiling as he saw something he wanted. "Ca-ee!"

"…What?"

Fai frowned and tugged at Kurogane's sleeve hard. "Ca-ee! Ca-ee!!" He pointed at a merchants stall. Kurogane stared at the merchandise and it hit him. "Oh, Candy." He blinked and gave Fai a stern glare. "Don't you think you're too young to eat sugary things again-"He grimaced as Fai gave him a hurt look, a genuine puppy dog look.

Kurogane rolled his eyes and pointed at a piece of candy. The merchant absently gave it to him in exchange for a small coin. "That's the only piece of sugar you're ever going to get." He said as he placed he candy in Fai's eager mouth. He smiled as Fai pointed to another place, and as soon as they were done there, another one.

It was sundown by the time that they were heading back to the castle, and Fai had eaten at least ten more pieces of candy, gotten two more stuffed animals and some new clothes for incase he grew a little more. He seemed to be growing at a steady pace now. Fai blinked and looked up at the ninja again. "Go back now?"

Kurogane nodded and with one clean movement, threw Fai over his shoulders. Fai laughed and clung to the ninja's hair. "Don't worry; we won't go back inside just yet. We're going somewhere else first."

* * *

Fai fell softly onto the ground again and gave Kurogane a frustrated expression. "Try again." Insisted Kurogane kindly, smiling at Fai's cute pouting expression. "Yes, I know, it's annoying, it's a pain to be doing this, especially since you know how to do it but you can't." Kurogane grabbed him from under his arms and prepared himself for Fai's next attempt at standing. "Now, try again."

Fai concentrated as he used his hands to push himself up off the ground, and gave a strong shove. He pushed so strongly, he would've fallen back if not for Kurogane catching him. Fai smiled up at him as he was gently placed back onto the feet. "Now try walking."

Fai nodded and concentrated again, taking one wobbly slow step forward. "How did you even get that room earlier?" asked Kurogane, letting Fai hold his hand for balance while he attempted to walk.

"Crawl." Fai smiled even wider as he managed to take a 5th step and stumbled forward. Kurogane caught him around the stomach and sat him on his lap gently. "You alright?"

Fai nodded tiredly, his breathing labored. "Tired."

"Do you want to try again?" He asked, but Fai shook his head and slumped against his relaxed leg. "Sleepy…"

"Alright…Sleep then." Barely a few moments had gone by before Fai dozed off. Kurogane wouldn't have realized if not for Fai snoring quietly. He laughed and stroked his head absently.

"Did you have fun?" Tomoyo asked as she came strolling towards them, pulling her robes underneath her as she sat down next to him. "I heard from a few visiting villagers that you were spotted down in the street fair."

Kurogane didn't answer, only watching Fai sleep his exhaustion away. "The guests are gone. They were ambassadors from our neighboring countries, just visiting for the day. They won't come back anytime soon." She looked at Fai, smiling when Kurogane tried to hide that he was stroking Fai's head. "I take it he's feeling better."

"…What's the curse on him?" Kurogane asked suddenly. Tomoyo gave him a surprised look. "You mean to say, that you still don't know?"

Kurogane frowned. "What, is it plainly obvious?" He asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm. "Because all of you have made it _so easy to understand!_"

Tomoyo shook her head sadly and looked at Fai again. "Kurogane, a warning for the wise, You need to figure this out quickly, for Fai-san's sake and yours." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It may not be easy, and you may not like it, but it's not fair to him, you're bringing his hopes up and you haven't even got a clue to what's wrong."

Kurogane watched as Tomoyo stood up and cleaned her robes of grass. "You need to do it soon, or it may be too late. That's all I can tell, now if you excuse me, I need to go speak to Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun." Then she smiled. "By the way, I can see how Fai-chan likes that dog toy. It has your eyes."

Kurogane blushed and pushed the black stuffed dog aside. "Hn…."He watched Tomoyo leave and then looked at Fai again, worry coating his eyes. Whatever Tomoyo had meant, she hadn't said it for him to neglect it.

**I added some fluff for my lovely readers, which are you. Thanks for the reviews. they still mean alot to me.**


	8. Arguements

Chapter 8

Arguements

"Kurogane, could I see you in the gardens for a moment?" Tomoyo asked upon entering the room, pointing over her shoulder.

The trio, just having a small discussion over a few vacation plans (Fai's idea of course, and when Sakura had so happily agreed to the idea, all arguments died in Kurogane's and Syaoran's throat) looked up at the princess. Fai looked at Kurogane curiously, who had been excluded from the conversation when he disagreed and banned to the corner of the room, again courtesy of Fai. He sighed, not even bothering to complain as he picked up his sword and followed the princess out of the room.

Almost as if on cue though, once he was gone, Fai became fidgety, playing with the ends of his clothes and whatever else was nearby. Sakura looked over anxiously at Syaoran, and when she received no answer to her worried looks, she reached out to comfort Fai.

It was at least halfway through the afternoon before Kurogane came back. The glee on Fai's face was unmistakable as he stumbled forward for his ninja. "Kuro-wa!!"

He managed to get halfway across the room before Kurogane scooped him up, placing him on his shoulder. Fai giggled as he clung to the broad shoulder. Syaoran and Sakura stared in disbelief. It looked like…Kurogane was _happy_ to see Fai…

"What did Tomoyo-san say Kurogane-san?" Sakura asked as Kurogane sat down on the floor. He sighed quietly and relaxed against the wall. "I'm going to be out of the castle for the next few days."

Fai flinched and crawled down into the ninja's lap. He stared up at him, reaching out for Kurogane. He ignored him. "I have to go to another province to deliver a message directly from Tomoyo. I'll be gone for three days." He grimaced, obviously not enjoying the idea of becoming messenger boy for a few days. "So the two of you are in charge of watching him while I'm gone—"

Fai huffed loudly and reached out again. Kurogane grasped both his arms firmly and held him up at eye level. Fai glared at the ninja angrily. "You aren't going." He said sternly, looking back at the sapphire eyes firmly. "You are staying here, and not's because I say so, It's because _Tomoyo _said so."

Fai refused to look at him, instead turning to face the wall. Kurogane rolled his eyes and handed Fai to Syaoran and pointed at the door. "Fine, be that way. See if I care about your whining. We already talked about what we wanted to do. Now get out, I have things to do."

Syaoran didn't even argue as he stood up. Fai watched over his shoulder as Kurogane shut the door, and curled up against Syaoran's chest. "Kuro-wa…mean…"

Kurogane stared at Sakura, and shook his head, putting his sword on his bed. "You're still in here. That means you have something to tell me. What is it?"

"Kurogane-san, I really think you shouldn't have been so harsh to Fai-san…"

The ninja sighed. "He's just a kid—"

"But that hurt him! He doesn't like being away from you for too long, and you were so unfair to him! Fai-san is just going to miss you!"

Kurogane stared at the Princess in surprise. She'd never been so persistent in something, unless it involved her feather or the kid's well being.

"Whatever. It's not like it's my problem anymore…" He refused to look at her.

She gasped and pointed at him in shock. "Y-You would too!"

'_DAMNITT HOW DID SHE GET THAT?!' _He blushed heavily and angrily tossed a few clothes into the small pack he would be taking. "I would not." He huffed loudly, swearing under his breath so Sakura wouldn't hear.

"No, you would! You would miss him!!" She insisted loudly, a triumphant grin filling her features. Kurogane scowled and sat down on his bed. "So? What about it? Does that mean you're going to tell the kid that you like him too, and that's why you decided going to the beach would be a good idea? To spend more time with him?"

He tried not to smile at Sakura's change in skin tone. "Exactly. Now, you don't say anything to anyone about this, I won't tell the kid. Not that I would, I really don't care, but you probably aren't the type to go around gossiping anyways."

"Y-You should apologize to Fai-san." She stood up, awkwardly brushing the tears away from her eyes. "I-It's not fair to him or you!"

He sighed, letting his head fall forward in defeat upon seeing the Princess fight back her tears of embarrassment. "Fine" He muttered finally, letting his breath out in a whoosh. "I'll do it…And I won't tell the kid….I shouldn't have said that to you…"

Sakura laughed quietly and nodded, brushing away a new batch of tears. "O-Okay. Thank you Kurogane-san." She opened the door and stepped out. Before closing the door though, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a bracing smile. "I hope you have a good trip. Good night."

"Mhm. Night."

* * *

"We discussed this last night, you aren't going, okay?" Fai sniffed quietly and nodded, but didn't let go of Kurogane's fingers, refusing to let go even when he was passed to the arms of Syaoran again. "Kuro-wa…Miss."

Kurogane nodded calmly. "It's only a few days, I'll be back soon. Besides, you have the kid and princess to play with while I'm gone, so you won't be lonely."

Fai shook his head, eyes giving him a heart broken gaze. "No lonely. Miss."

Kurogane sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out the stuffed dog he'd bought for Fai the day of the street fair. "Do you remember this?"

Fai nodded, but Kurogane shook his head. "Say it like I said before."

"H-Hai."

"Good. Do you remember what I told you to do with it?"

"No Lonely. Kuro-pup here to play. Kuro-wa no go when Kuro-pup here."

"Exactly." Kurogane replaced his fingers with the dog. "If I'm not here, or you can't find me, or you're lonely, play with him. You named him after me, didn't you?"

Fai swallowed and nodded quickly, pressing the dog to his chest as Kurogane gently ruffled his hair and turned back to the road, mounting his horse. He couldn't help but give out a cry though, when Kurogane started to ride away. It took quite a bit of his self control for Kurogane to not look back as well.

Fai curled against Syaoran's chest and sniffed, hugging the dog in his hands. It wasn't fair. He couldn't do anything, he could barely speak and walk, and now, he couldn't even convince himself that he could live without the ninja for three days. It wasn't fair…If only he were older; he could handle this more maturely, more like an adult, like he should…

**

* * *

**

CRASH!!

"YOU MORON, LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!! YOU'VE MADE A MESS OF EVERYTHING – OH NO!" Watanuki scooped up the small little bottle into his arms, examining every possible corner of it before glaring at the archer. "You are _so_ lucky that it didn't break, you—"

"It is." Doumeki pointed at a tiny, almost invisible crack in the bottle. It was gushing out a plain silvery smoke.

"_**WHAT?!**_" Watanuki went into a panicked frenzy, almost dropping the bottle…again.

"What happened?" Yuuko asked casually, slipping into the room smoothly. Watanuki (unable to speak from panic), shoved the bottle in her face. She stared at it blankly and shrugged. "It didn't happen because you dropped it, the bottles –"

She paused upon getting a devilish idea. "Oh never mind. It did."

Watanuki howled. "WHAT DO I DO?!"

"What do you want me to do?" She asked simply, sitting down in a chair in her treasure room and blowing out a puff of smoke. "Tell them that you made a wish and that the price for it was making a spell I needed? And that you just so happened to mess it up, and _that's why Fai is a child right now?_"

Watanuki gulped, blushing as he looked at Doumeki and froze in place. "Besides that, you just happened to break the bottle, and it just may cost Fai his life?"

Watanuki paled and shook his head. Yuuko grinned maliciously, and took another breath of her pipe. "Good, because it didn't. The crack happened because someone chipped away a part of the curse that wasn't Kurogane."

Watanuki howled again, though this time, of the injustice of it all. "The only question, is who?" Yuuko ignored the teen's silent and voiceless tantrum, staring at the smoking bottle. "…Could Fai have…broken a part of the curse…because he wasn't happy with his current condition?"

**

* * *

**

So Fai can break his own curses? Just because he's not happy? How strange…We'll have to check that out in the next chapter. And now, you all know WHY Fai is a child, and that him being a kid wasn't supposed to happen. Wata blushed why? I don't know, guess lolz, i like to imply things, not say them straight forward and out XD;;

**Also, once this one's done anyone up for a sequel with only Sakura and Syaoran in it? With lots of fluff? Who should be the kid this time? (I already have it figured out how either one turns into a kid lolz, thanks to Fai!)**


	9. Growing Pains

**Chapitre 9**

**Growing Pains**

_**18 favorites, 32 alerts, 49 reviews, and 3,356 hits. Did I ever mention how much I love you all?**_

Tomoyo hummed peacefully as she wrote elegant letters on her paper. She smiled and placed the brush down though, a few moments later, and looked up. "I trust you had a safe trip?" She asked pleasantly as Kurogane silently closed the door behind him.

"You're up early." He muttered, throwing a small scroll onto her lap. "Here, our problematic-guest sends his apologies. He also sent you a gift."

Tomoyo raised her eye brows in glee as she caught eye of the silver snowflake necklace that was wrapped skillfully around the scroll. "Ashura-ou has good taste it seems. He knew exactly what I needed…"

"What?"

"Nothing. You should go to bed now, take advantage that Fai-san is asleep." She looked up, noticing Kurogane's mixed expression. "What is it? Are you worried he's still mad at you?"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and turned to open the door. "He missed you too Kurogane."

His hand held the door firmly, but was unable to open it for a moment. "Yeah…"

"Sweet dreams Kurogane." He waved it off as he left the room.

* * *

Kurogane felt a small kick at his side through the curtain of sleep. He yawned and unwillingly, opened his eyes, grimacing at the sudden exposure to light. He reached up, shielding his eyes from the harmful rays.

"Kuro-wan?"

"Is that you?" He muttered tiredly. "You're awake already?"

"Kuro-wan?"

"I'm up, I'm up. You're probably hungry, might as well go get you something to eat—"

"Kuro-wan, when did you get back?"

Kurogane blinked, and froze, as it dawned upon him that Fai had spoken a full sentence without pausing or being unable to pronounce the word correctly. He shot up, and turned to his right in shock. A pair of eight year old eyes stared right back at his this time. Fai blinked and feigned a look of innocence.

"What's the matter Kuro-chu?"

Kurogane, for once in a long time, was silent.

* * *

"So now, the bottle's cracked." Concluded Yuuko finally, placing the "so-called" famous bottle.

Kurogane looked on the verge of losing his cool. "So you mean to tell me, that he can break his own curse?!"

"He can."Yuuko shrugged and reached for her sake cup. "But he can't do it on command, so you're still stuck with breaking the whole curse on your own."

"So now, he's a kid."

"He was always a kid. He's just older now."

"I KNEW THAT, SO WHY IS HE STUCK LIKE THIS NOW?! SHOULDN'T HE HAVE KEPT GROWING OR SOMETHING?!" Kurogane pointed back over his shoulder at the closed doors of his room, where two servants were helping Fai get dressed into some more…ahem, _larger_ clothes. The other ones were, well, not suited for his current size and had ripped to shreds when he had his little growth spurt.

Syaoran had the bad luck of having Kurogane run inside his room halfway through the day because Fai had escaped his views and was running around the castle as he pleased. I repeat, _AS HE PLEASED._

So now, Syaoran was trying to burn the images out of his brain by starring at the koi in the garden pond. Sakura was sitting next to him worriedly, not exactly sure over what was going on.

Anyways….

"Well, I'd have to assume that the bottle cracked because of you."

"Why are you blaming this on me?" Kurogane growled lowly. "I didn't do anything?!"

"Quite the contrary. You broke a part of his curse."

"HOW?!"

Yuuko grinned. "You really don't expect me to tell you this, do you?" She waved her hand casually and chuckled. "Whatever, I have a previous engagement I must attend to, so just try to figure it out on your own."

Kurogane ground his teeth together as Mokona cut the connection, but that was nothing compared to what happened when Fai was brought out of the room.

"HE'S A BOY!!"

The servants blushed and one even giggled, pressing her fingertips together in embarrassment."B-But he looks so cute in the kimono…" She whispered and without warning, both of them dashed away, giggling like crazed fangirls. Fai spun in a circle. "Do I look pretty Kuro-wan?" He asked excitedly, eyes full of energy.

Kurogane blushed, closing his eyes and grimacing. He covered his face with hand and sighed. "Just go change again." He groaned, voice muffled from his hand.  
Fai stuck out his tongue playfully and laughed, and just to get on Kurogane's nerves even further, he _skipped_ his way back. Kurogane removed his hand from his face and looked at the kid.

Syaoran remained silent at the pond and refused to lift his gaze from the pond. He looked absolutely traumatized. "Um, Princess, Why don't you take him out to town and go buy some more rice for the cooks?"

Sakura nodded, grinning like a fool. After seeing Fai in a kimono, her inner fangirl had been awakened. Kurogane didn't open his eyes again until after he was sure they'd left. "You done now?" He asked loudly.

Fai laughed, coming out from the room once more. "Yes Kuro-chan!"

"Stop using the nicknames-"

"You didn't care before though." Argued back Fai smoothly. Kurogane blushed, but shook it off. "What else do remember?"

"Hm….Mokona….Syaoran-kun…Sakura-chan….Kuro-woof….and Yuuko-san…"He frowned. "Oh, and Watanuki-kun."

Kurogane sighed. "You can remember names, but you only choose to remember nicknames?" He muttered in disbelief.

"Of course, Kuro-noodle, its fun!"

Kurogane froze. "_What did you just call me?!"_

"Nothing Kuro-burro!"

"Mage, you're pushing it with me today—"

"I missed you too Kuro-wan." Fai said suddenly, grinning from ear to ear. A genuine smile that made Kurogane feel the heat rise off his cheeks. He grabbed Fai from his arms and with ease, swung him up over his shoulders. "Hn…Whatever."

Silence…Then,  
"Aww, Kuro-cookie's embarrassed!!"

**"WHOSE EMBARRASSED?! WHO?!"**

_"KURO-WAN DON'T SWING THAT SWORD AT FAI!!"_

**"SHUT UP YOU MANJU, OR I'LL CUT YOU TOO!!"**

_"AH! KURO-DADDY IS SCARING ME! HELP ME FAI!"_

"KURO-PUFF THAT'S MEAN!"

**"SHUDDAP!!"**

**I REALLY LOVE YOU GUYS FOR YOUR REVIEWS AND SUPPORT. I'LL ADD SOME MORE FLUFF IN THE NEXT CHAPTER JUST FOR YOU ALL, BUT THEN, ITS BACK TO THE STORY LINE LOLS**

**I'M SAD THO. I REALLY LOVED WRITING ABOUT FAI WHEN HE WAS LITTLE, AND I'LL MISS DOING SO FROM NOW ON. BUT IF I MAKE THE SEQUEL TO THIS, I THINK I MIGHT MAKE KURO-WOOF A KID TOO. LOLZ, AND BY THE WAY, THE NEWEST KURO NICKNAMES ARE FROM THE IMAGINATION OF MOI, AND MY COUSIN. alot can be thought up of when your bored at a party with a lot of food...**


	10. Coloring Wars

Chapter 10

Coloring Wars

"Hey kid, come here for a second." Kurogane beckoned Syaoran forward, motioning for him to sit down in front of him.

"What is it Kurogane-san?" Syaoran placed his sword at his side, slowly sliding down on his knees.

"Have you-

"Kuro-chi! Kuro-chi!"

"Shush – Have you been practicing—"

"_But __**Kuro-rin**__!!_

"Shuddup!" Kurogane sighed exasperatedly, trying to calm himself down. Fai had been bothering him all day, and even now, when the witch had sent him some toys and supplies (at a price of course), the mage _still_ wouldn't shut up?! Did he never stop talking?!

Fai kept whinning.

"HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING YOU SWORD LATELY?" asked Kurogane loudly, trying to block out Fai's growing, impatient struggle to be noticed.

Syaoran shook his head sheepishly. "N-No, I haven't," he admitted, abashed. "I haven't because of all of the things that have been happening, and I also wanted to know if you could practice with me later today."

Kurogane scowled, pushing Fai's face away from him with an open palm. "Why don't you ask one of the ninja—"

He shoved small hands away from his mouth and gently shoved Fai onto the floor, though failing to hide his smile as he tickled Fai on the stomach lightly before drawing his hand away. Fai rolled on the ground giggling.

"Kuro-wan!" He whinned, once the giggling fit subsided. He held out a fistful of crayons. "Help me color the doggy!"

"No, now stop bothering me."

"But Kuro-rin—"

"GO AWAY!!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"NO!!" Fai grinned as he shouted back, obviously enjoying the argument. "Color with me!!"

Kurogane ignored him. Fai turned to look at Syaoran, giving him his softest puppy dog look. "Won't you color with me Syaoran-kun?"

Who could possibly say no?

"I don't see why not…" Muttered Syaoran, turning hot as he felt Kurogane's rage begin to emit from very body.

"Yay!" Fai held out paper and crayons to his friend, grinning as he said, "I guess that coloring a few things on a paper is too much for a ninja, huh Kuro-wa?"

Kurogane snapped, tearing away the papers and crayons from Fai's outstretched hands and began furiously scribbling across its surface. Fai happily laid back on his stomach, humming as he colored the dog. He looked up to try and see what Kurogane was trying to draw.

"…Kuro-rin? What is that?"

Syaoran's attention was brought to the other drawing too, with all effort, tried not to sound _too _insulting when he asked the same question.

"It's a sword!" growled Kurogane, glaring at Fai hatefully. "Can't you tell?!"

"It looks like a stick Kuro-chu." Fai started giggling, pointing at the picture. "Kuro-doggy can't draw!"

"SHUDDUP!" Kurogane crumpled up the paper in rage and furiously started trying to recreate the poor example of a sword.

He went through ten more sheet of paper before he decided that it wasn't worth trying anymore. His swords weren't getting any better off (actually, they looked worse each time, which just sent the damn mage into another fit of giggles…), and the crayons were beginning to look sorely abused.

In frustration, he threw the crayons aside and sat back up in a huff. "Forget it," he muttered after a moments silence. "Kid, let's go practice."

Syaoran didn't appear to hear his mentor.

"Kid. Hey, Kid!"

Syaoran blinked, startled and quickly looked up at the ninja. Sheepishly, he smiled and carefully folded the paper into fourth's, stuffing it into his sleeve. "I-I was drawing the Castle of Clow…" He said nervously.

Being an architect helped his drawing skills, which unfortunately would be his demise if Kurogane saw how well he drew…So it was better to act like his drawings were no better than the ninja's.

It worked.

Fai gasped in horror though, and quickly rose to his feet. "You're going away now?!" He shouted in shock, unable to believe that they were leaving already. They were just starting to have fun too….

"Yeah, We need to get some practice in before it's dinner time." Syaoran said quickly, trying to avoid all likely hood of a possible argument. It failed that time.

"You, are going to stay with the Princess." Growled Kurogane lowly, starring back at the round sapphire eyes that were trying to make him think otherwise. Kurogane had to admit though; Fai was particularly good at the puppy dog look. It made him wonder how much trouble he could've got into when he was a child…

To his surprise though, Fai merely sighed and nodded sadly in defeat. "Okay…"He murmured, holding out his arms for Kurogane to carry him. Kurogane obliged in suspicion; the mage had never agreed to something so calmly—Could he be sick?! ….No, it was more likely he was plotting something…Fai would probably find a way to get back at his ninja later tomorrow.

He carried him all the way to Sakura's room and dropped him off on the floor. "Stay with her, alright?"

Fai nodded. "Oh." He smiled innocently, laughing quietly. "I forgot to tell you that Tomoyo-hime wanted to talk to you and Syaoran-kun today!"

Kurogane scowled. There was the payback he'd been expecting, though a little sooner than expected…

"Ugh, why didn't you tell me earlier…" He muttered under his breath, storming out of the room. In his hurry to drop Fai off though, he hadn't realized that the Princess was asleep, book still in her hands.

Fai grinned and quietly slipped out of the room. He had a plan that wouldn't allow Syaoran and Kurogane to practice much today…

-.-

**Oh Fai...What are you going to do to those poor swords...sigh**

**Next Chapter involves learning to climb up castles, master skills in hiding things, and falling off roofs, lolz! Poor Kuro-boo, he doesn't know whats gunna hit him.**


	11. Blanks

**Chapter 11**

**Blanks  
**

**AN::** **Oh My Clow, I haven't updated in forever, and I beg for your forgiveness. I actually got a Trojan Virus from this website and couldn't get on here until now! I'm so very sorry…BUT ONWARDS WITH THE FLUFF!!  
**

* * *

Kurogane opened bleary eyes, using his arm to shield them from the bright afternoon light. Yawning, he wincing as he peeled off the stuck pieces of paper on his cheek, remnants from the massive coloring spree they'd had earlier that morning. He must've fallen asleep after a while; he hadn't had a decent nights sleep since the mage had turned into a child actually. Speaking of which, he noticed, that the mage was no where to be seen. He shrugged. It was more that likely that the kid had taken him somewhere when he fell asleep.

He sat up, pushing aside the half finished drawings and crayons. One stuck again, to his annoyance, and sighing, he shook it off, though laughing in spite of himself at the picture. A puppy with goggles was staring at a pink kitty with a princess crown, obviously very love struck by the other.

"He really cares for those kids…" he muttered under his breath as he rose to his feet. "Even if he doesn't admit it or actually forgot about them."

That, of course was when the door burst open. Sakura blushed, though why was completely beyond Kurogane at the moment. "What is it?"

"He's not in here…" She made another embarrassed expression, and sighed.

"Who's not here? The kid?"

"Actually…I meant Fai-san."

Kurogane frowned, moving closer to the door. "Wasn't he with Syaoran?"

"Well you see…" Syaoran stepped out from behind Sakura. "He actually fell asleep right next to you, so I left for a second to get something to drink…"

Kurogane groaned, completely annoyed now. "Have any of the castle maids seen anything?"

"No, and we've looked everywhere, He's nowhere around here-"

The sound of a breaking tile cut across their conversation. "What was that?"

They all rushed outside, looking around in surprise. "Kurogane-san, what happened?" asked Sakura, noticing the broken tile.

Kurogane frowned. "I have an idea but…"

Another tile fell from the roof and smashed against the ground. Syaoran looked at Kurogane, who nodded. "I'll boost you up. Princess, you should stay inside."

"B-But…"

"Its alright Sakura-hime, we'll be fine." Syaoran smiled as he allowed Kurogane to boost him up onto the roof. Sakura blushed, nodding as she backed back into the room.

Kurogane hauled himself onto the roof, balancing well due to his training…Unlike Syaoran. Ten tiles fell to their doom before Kurogane managed to grab hold of his students arm. He sighed, pulling him back up. "Just try not to fall, alright?"

Syaoran flushed pink.

"Now, we need to look out for the damned manju and the idiot." He shook his head in annoyance. "How they've managed to get here and stay on is beyond me though…"

A giggle emerged from the other side of the roof. Kurogane peered over, glaring at the manju bun when he realized it was sleeping. He poked it, causing its eyes to buldge open. "MEKYO!"

Kurogane snatched it up by the ears, clearly not amused. "What are you doing?"

Mokona giggled. "The sun was really warm, so Mokona thought it would be nice to take a nap!"

"That's not what I mean. What were you doing up here in the first place?"

"I don't know!"

"Ugh." He shoved the white puffball into Syaoran's hands. "I don't have time for this. Take it down, I'll look for the idiot myself."

Syaoran nodded, slidding down on one leg with ease. Kurogane shook his head, continuing walking across the roof with ease. "If only he were that good at balancing up here…"

"_Kuuuuuroooo-waaaaaan!~"_

Kurogane felt a vien somewhere inside him pop. If Fai was calling him like that, he obviously knew that he was NOT in the mood for these sort of things.

"_Kurooo-wan..."_

He continued walking forward, already inventing ways to punish the mage for being such an idiot.

"Kuro-wan!"

Kurogane's frown deepened as he realized that the tone hadn't been teasing the whole time. It was a frightened tone, one of a child desperate to find help. He rushed forward a little more.

"KUROGANE!!"

He almost stopped running then, which would've caused him fall and be unable to catch Fai, who had just dropped from the roof of the taller building next door. Fai panted, his cheeks flushed pink from the scare. Kurogane dropped to his knees, just as exhausted from his split second scare. _**"What were you doing up there?!"**_

Fai breathed in deeply, swallowing before answering. "I-I'm not sure…"

"What do you mean you're not sure?"

"I-I wanted you to play more, s-so I went and stole your swords-"

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"B-But I can't…I can't…I Fell and…the roof…a-and" His eyes began to pool with tears, sniffling. Kurogane's eyes widened with shock. "I-I don't know what…Whats happening to me?!"

Kurogane shook off his shock. "You mean you don't remember how you got up there?"

Fai sniffed louder, the tears spilling over as he began to sob. "N-No!!"

"What the—M-Mage, why are you…" He watched Fai sob into his shirt, at loss of what to do. Then, he pulled Fai onto his lap and hugged him as close as he could.

* * *

"What happened?"

"I don't know." Yuuko answered blandly. "What do you think happened?"

Kurogane gave an exhasperated sigh. "I think that when you say you don't know anything, you do it to piss me off, not because you can't. "

Yuuko laughed cheerily. "You learn faster than I assumed."

He huffed, looking at Fai, who sat solemly in the corner. "Can you at least tell me if it's a side affect or not?"

She sighed. "Well, you'll find that out when you break his curse, won't you?"

Then, she cut the connection. He muttered a list of curses under his breath, even reciting the worst things he'd ever invented when Fai interrupted his thoughts.

"Um…Kuro-wan…what would you do if I…Just so happened to…forget…where I put your sword?"

"…Hell no."

**A/n: I actually meant to make it a little more fluffy, but i needed to write a dramatic one before i can head off to the fluff again, so sorry if it dissapoints :(**

**I STILL LOVE YOU ALL FOR STILL REVIEWING, FAVING, AND ALERTING EVEN WHEN I HADN"T UPDATED SINCE FOREVER!! *free hugs*  
**


	12. Resort

Chapter 12

Resort

**OKAY OKAY I MAY HAVE SAID A LITTLE WHITE LIE. I am NOT writing fluff this chapter, though maybe you might find some anyways? No promises though, since I still have to stick to the plot or else we may never finish, right? But I'll try to make this as least painful as I can.**

Syaoran searched the vast beach, scanning carefully for the white marshmallow we know as Mokona. "Mokona?" He pulled apart the branches of a bush, narrowing his eyes to look. Mokona leapt out and attached itself to his face, laughing insanely. "I CAUGHT SYAORAN!!" It giggled.

"Moko-chan? Syaoran-kun? How do you eat this?" Sakura asked nervously, holding up her hot dog. Mokona shone with glee and released Syaoran. "Just eat it silly, it tastes really good!"

Sakura and Syaoran exchanged nervous glances. "Are you sure Mokona? Does this have any alcohol in it?" demanded Syaoran. Mokona laughed. "Silly that's a hot dog! Besides, Kurgii made these, so it's okay!"

Syaoran looked around, suddenly realizing that Fai was gone. He did a 360, even looking above him-come on, it was Fai, and he had to expect the unexpected- when he saw him stubbornly shaking a small tree. He chucked to himself when he saw why; Fai's new kite had lodged itself in between the branches.

Fai sighed with dismay, letting go of the tree. The tree was much to lithe to hold him but still too tall for him to reach up and grab the kite out…A strong well placed kick landed against the trunk, knocking the kite out of its clutch and into Fai's welcoming hands. Fai beamed up at the brunette. "Thanks Syaoran-kun!!"

Syaoran smiled a little. "You shouldn't be so far off Fai-san, Kurogane-san might get mad if you disappear again."

Fai laughed. "Its okay, I'm just going to be over here, okay?" He looked over towards the princess and meat bun. "I think Sakura-chan needs more help…"

Sakura was covered in mustard and ketchup, both bottles still in her hands as evidence of the crime scene. Syaoran sighed. "I turn around for ONE second…" he muttered as he rushed over to help the Princess clean up.

Fai let the kite lift into the air again, sighing a little. Kurogane, unknowing to Syaoran, was actually asleep. Yeah, taking care of Fai 24/7 **_kinda_** exhausted him, just a bit. So when Syaoran had actually left Fai there, it was probably not one of his best of ideas. Fai smiled though. This was a good chance for him to prove to everyone that he could take care of himself!

The kite caught a strong gust of wind, knocking it out of his hands with the force and leading it to fall into the ocean. Fai's face fell. The kite wasn't **_too_** far out, but he preferred not getting wet, even if the weather was really warm. He measured up his options. He could go get Syaoran- no, that would only prove he couldn't really take care of himself. He could also get Kuro- no, that wouldn't work either. He'd have to stay with him all the time if he did that. He could go into the ocean and get the kite…

He smiled, choosing the latter. His wet clothes could easily be blamed on a surprise wave later on, right? Happily walking towards the ocean, he mentally congratulated himself for such a wise decision.

It really wasn't until he was knee deep in the water when he started to think this wasn't such a good idea. The water had pulled his kite away even more while he'd been making his way over, and now, it was almost too far away. And even before that, the water had been a lot deeper and colder than he'd realized. His teeth chattered violently against each other, but he pulled himself together and continued forward. His foot dropped into a hidden crevice, surprising him as he was pulled under for a moment. Coughing and spitting, he managed to pull his foot out of his shoe, and rise up again. He blinked tears of distress out of his eyes, but instead of going for the kite again, he began to pull out of the ocean.

A roaring noise pulled his attention behind, his eyes widening at the site of the enormous waves approaching him-Fast. He barely had time to cry out when the waves knocked him under and into a rock.

Everything went black.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

Kurogane rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hand, stretching as he sat up. The kids were playing some weird game nearby, screaming something at the top of their lungs while they ran around like beheaded chickens. He shrugged, and continued to do his regular 360 scan of the surroundings. That, is when he noticed that the little blonde haired nuisance-boy, was no where to be seen.

It was around that time when it hit him that the kids weren't playing a game either.

"Kurogane-san! Kurogane-san!" Syaoran gasped for air, his hands on his knees as he tried to breathe evenly. "We can't find Fai-san!"

Kurogane looked around again, spotting the kite floating away lazily. He swore, putting two and two together, and began tearing off his shoes. Syaoran blinked, temporarily confused. "K-Kurogane-san?"

Kurogane tore off his shirt and began racing for the shore, searching for any signs of life in the water. A small scream directed his eyes to where Fai was and he turned to look just in time to see a large wave knock the blond face first into the water. He dove in, swimming as fast as he could to reach the blonde.

Fai was sinking fast, eyes barely able to open as he regained consciousness. He couldn't move, it was like someone had turned him eyes on but the rest of his body remained off. He saw Kurogane's hand reach towards him, and felt his tough yet comfy arms pull him towards the ninja. When they broke to the surface, Fai's eyes widened as he began coughing, spitting out all the seawater he'd inhaled while under. Kurogane held him up right as he made his way back to the shore.

"Manju!" he yelled, realizing that Fai was beginning to lose consciousness again. "Take us to the witch!"

"But-"

"NOW!!"

Mokona nodded, jumping into the air. "I'll try!!" It opened the magic circle and just as quickly as it had appeared, Mokona sucked them in and disappeared.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

It was raining. That much Fai could tell from when he woke up again. He could hear the soft pitter-patter of when the water hit against the walls outside. He also felt water lapping gently around him- not the cold ocean water though. This water was warm, and smelt soothing.

The last thing he could tell was that someone was holding his hand in the water. He opened his eyes a little, squeezing the hand for a response. None. He looked to his right tiredly. Kurogane was sleeping again, next to the tub, his arm submerged in the water. Fai smiled weakly. Even if the ninja preferred not to admit it, he really did care a lot for all his companions.

Even him.

**Ah well, next chapter will be funnier, i promise, alright? It warms the fangirl in my heart to hear that you all like my story so much, hah, makes my worst days seem pretty good again. Keep reviewing and fanloving for the world of fanfiction, alright?**

**love, Koro'  
**


	13. Situations

**Chapter 13**

**Wow… long time since I've updated, huh? So sorry about that, but I just got really busy all of the sudden. *sigh* Thus is the curse of the eleventh grade year…**

**Anyways, ahem…UPDATE TIMES!!!**

* * *

If Syaoran thought it was possible to detach your head by drying it too harshly, he would've asked Kurogane stop. But currently, he was shivering too violently to be able to dry his own head and he didn't think that Kurogane would hear him if he said anything anyways.

Kurogane was practically driving poor Syaoran's head into the ground with the force he was applying to the towel- which unfortunately, was increasing in strength every few minutes. "Um…Kurogane-san?"

**"_What?!"_**

Syaoran flinched, lowering his head and biting back a whimper. "Could you not dry so hard? Please? You're hurting me."

Kurogane stopped, and for a second there, Syaoran was worried that the ninja would decapitate him. He'd almost begun praying to the God's that he would have time to tell Sakura that- "Sorry." Kurogane left the towel untouched on Syaoran's head, rising to his feet. "I'll be right back…I'm gonna go check on the mage…"

Syaoran watched him leave, surprised. He'd expected some sort of retort, however small, not to be left all alone. He sneezed, and wiping his nose, he turned to look out the window. Snow was falling heavily outside, the gardens barely visible. It had been like this ever since they'd been sent back to Nihon instead of the Dimensional Shop (Mokona was almost throttled for this). Luckily, Tomoyo-hime had been prepared for such situations, having at least three ninja's stationed at every room in the castle prepared for whatever was to happen. She'd even bought calming bath water from the Witch that soothed the body and after it sent you to sleep, would begin healing in an instant.

But the snow hadn't begun until Fai had been taken out of the bath water and placed onto a futon. He'd just begun having nightmares when snow started falling down in armies.

Kurogane, need to say, was not very pleased with this.

Sakura was in the kitchen, volunteering herself to make a special tea for everyone…Sakura….Syaoran blushed. He'd been planning to say something to her…But then she lost her memory…And even after they'd battled that butt-chin man, she could not recall anything. Well then again, it wasn't a pricey payment to the witch for nothing was it…

He groaned quietly, leaning down on the ground. It wasn't getting better though, she seemed to be getting more aware of things, and even if she were to remember him, it wasn't a correct thing to do – She was a princess for the love of Gods!

Something white and soft obscured his vision. "Mokona, I don't mean to be rude, but this isn't exactly a good time."

"…Syaoran-kun?"

He sat up immediately, face as red as the blood that ran through his veins. "S-Sakura-hime!! W-What are you doing here?"

"I-I came to bring you some tea, but the napkin fell on your face—are you sure this isn't a bad time?"

"N-NO!"

Sakura jumped, almost dropping the Tea cup, and fell backwards. Syaoran caught the tray in one hand – at the cost of ending up in an uncomfortable situation. Sakura blushed. "Um Syaoran-kun?"

"…Sakura-hime?"

"….Could you please remove your hand from my chest?"

* * *

Fai sat up, massaging his temples. "That was a horrible dream…" He murmured, managing to drag himself out of bed. A wave of vertigo hit him, and he fell to his knees. Mokona leapt off the bed. "Fai!! You're awake!"

"…Mokona, thank you for the good morning, but you are on my head and I feel as though I have a hang over, so please get off."

Mokona smiled, but hopped onto the ground instead. "Is Fai okay?"

Fai smiled. "Yes Mokona. I'm alright. How's everyone else?"

"They're okay. But we were really worried about Fai."

Fai sighed. "I know…"

"Especially Kuro-woof…"

"Especially Kurogane, I know…"

"You better be damn right, you know." Fai jumped, turning his attention to the unnoticed open door. "And you better have a really damn good explanation of what you did back there."

Fai smiled, beginning to laugh, but Kurogane glared at him with piercing eyes and it was the end of that. "Don't you dare even give me that stupid grin. I'll tear your damn mouth off your face, you got it?!"

The lithe blond fell silent. Kurogane turned to Mokona. "Manju, get out." Mokona shuffled uncomfortably, looking from Fai to Kurogane. "But…"

"I'm not playing Manju, get out _now._"

Mokona nodded quietly, waving good bye to the mage before it bounced out of the room. Kurogane slammed the door shut. "What the _**hell were YOU THINKING?!"**_

Fai winced at the volume of the voice, but refused to cover his ears. "_Do you know that the Princess was crying because you wouldn't breathe when we got here?!" _Snarled the Ninja, his voice a hiss, only loud enough for him to hear.

"_Not only that, you went in there, alone, didn't tell anyone and for a stupid kite!?" _Fai was beginning to smile a little, now noticing that the clothes he was wearing were a different size and style. That meant he'd grown again while he was sleeping. Would this day never end? _"I can't believe you would do something so stupid! Moron!"_

"I don't see…what I did wrong though…" Kurogane stopped, and scowled, looking away in disgust. "Fine. Do whatever you want. See if I care."

He slammed the door open. Fai stared blankly at the now white castle grounds. "But don't come crying to me if you get hurt again."

Fai blinked. "You were worried, weren't you Kuro-chu?"

Kurogane flinched, obviously expecting some sort of retort instead. Slowly, his cheeks began to flush pink, and he laughed. "Damn crazy mage…"

The shinobi stepped out the room, still laughing quietly as he waved good bye. "Get some sleep…"

When the door shut though, Fai couldn't help but wonder if what he was feeling and thinking would ever make it through to the ninja. And whether Kurogane would one day admit that he felt the same way.

* * *

**Well, for one I actually have planned a sequel for this, since I will let you know now that the debate between Kurg's and Fai's relationship will not be answered completely here. Blame Kuro for that. But I will have it end happy, so YAY!! ...But In about chapter 16-18, this story will come to an end (with an epilogue of course lol). And I'm not saying that there is KuroFai in this fic (not that I don't support lol I love KuroFai) but I wanted to leave their relationship (in this part of the fic) a mystery to your mind lol. So its up to you to decide whether the mage's wish is a BL or not, take it as you wish. **

**Either way, lets face it. These two have _SERIOUS_ Issues at hand .**

And again sorry for the lateness on updates.

**Reviews are love :D**


	14. To Differentiate

_Welcome back to the Mage's Wish express, we wish you good tidings and delicious chocolate lava cakes. _

Ha, sorry for all the random update spills, but here we are at last, the REAL chapter 14. A special thanks to all my lovely readers-reviewers-favoriters-and-alerters. Especially to my new crime fighting beta partner, Dreamgirl96. Chapter 14 was made possible by her, so give her love for me too, okay?

NOW READ MY LOVES!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**To Differentiate  
**

"…And so that's how it happened", Kurogane placed his cup of tea back on the table.

Tomoyo smiled. "So, that's why you're refusing to talk with him? Kurogane, he is a teenager now, he's bound to make stupid decisions like that—"

"He was a child when he ran into the ocean, _**NOW**_ he's a teenager."

"Even more so. Also, I think Fai-san believes that you find him a burden."

Kurogane scowled, looking annoyed. "Where the hell did you get that crazy idea — I KNOW SOUMA, SHE'S THE PRINCESS!! I GET IT!!"

Souma sat back down at the beckon of Tomoyo's hand. "You should treat her highness with more respect…Honestly…" grumbled his senior ninja.

"As I was saying," continued Tomoyo. "He is a teenager now, Kurogane. He is not only bound to act more on impulse, but to be more insecure. Fai-san has no idea what is going on, or how this even happened to him. All he knows is that you wished for something that almost led you to your death and he made a counter-wish to save you. Anything after that is a blur."

Kurogane didn't say anything. Tomoyo chuckled quietly. "You haven't mentioned to him why you were dying, have you?"

"It's…irrelevant…It doesn't even apply to him".

"You tried to give up your life for someone, Kurogane. That's hardly irrelevant." Tomoyo looked out the window. "I wonder…What could be so important for you to attempt that? It sounds very out-of-character for you."

Kurogane blushed, immediately rising to his feet.

Tomoyo blinked in surprise. "Oh? Where are you going? I didn't embarrass you into running away, did I?"

Kurogane huffed, "No! I just have to go check on the kids and the mage to make sure they haven't done anything stupid."

Tomoyo grinned. "You'd make a great father some day Kurogane."

"…And _how_ does that relate to this conversation?"

Tomoyo chuckled. "Just a thought." She murmured, waving him away. "Just go. It's nothing. Besides, I have a little something to discuss with one of your companions…"

* * *

A servant screamed as Syaoran flew past them. He caught what they dropped and quickly placed it on the nearby table.

"S-Sorry!!" He yelled before taking off again.

He skidded around the corner, almost crashing against the corner. He managed to catch himself though, and began running down the stairs two at a time. He'd almost made it out the door when a crescent shaped beam enclosed him. Sighing, Syaoran fell to the ground, slumping in defeat.

"Tomoyo-hime…." He moaned. "I can't go back!!"

Tomoyo laughed, almost dancing down the stairs in joy. "Oh yes you can, Syaoran—Oh yes…" She turned around. "Souma, could you go tell Kurogane that I'm borrowing his student?

She grinned, turning back to the boy. "I missed using this; I used to punish Kurogane in here all the time when he was still living in the castle…"

Souma nodded, and disappeared. Syaoran looked as though he wanted to disappear. "Now Syaoran. It's perfectly normal for a boy to like a girl—"

"BUT I _**TOUCHED HER!?"**_

"And I believe that she forgave you for the accident?"

"But – I – I CAN'T!" Syaoran slammed his forehead against the barrier wall. "It wouldn't be correct....It isn't correct…"

Tomoyo smiled. "She loves you, too…if it helps."

Syaoran didn't reply. "Please let me go Tomoyo-hime. I would rather not have this conversation."

"This is why you ran away, I presume, when I ordered my ninjas to capture you once you refused to listen. By the way, that is very out-of-character from what I hear."

"I said I would, but I had something to do first! I never ran away!"

"Would this little errand have to do with the fact that tomorrow is Sakura-chan's birthday?"

Syaoran's face flushed red, and he looked to his feet. Tomoyo chuckled, releasing the

Barrier. He looked up in surprise as she pushed his chin up so he could look her in the eyes.

"There's a small shop a few minutes before the end of town. It sells cute accessories; go check it out. You might find something she'll like."

Smiling to herself, she waved, picking up her robes and dancing away. "Good luck!" she sang out.

* * *

Kurogane peered over the corner curiously. Sakura grinned. "Kurogane-san! Do you want to help?"

He looked around, curious. "Well…What are you doing?"

There were paper chains hanging from each corner, and colored confetti was covering the floor. Fai, on the other side of the room, was busy spreading more confetti on the floor – which, Kurogane noticed, were shaped in the forms of dogs, cats, and Mokonas. Fai looked up at his companion for a brief moment, blushed and looked away.

Kurogane frowned but said nothing.

"It's for Syaoran. It's his birthday tomorrow." She smiled. "See? We're decorating to give him a surprise party tonight!"

"Oh." He glanced at the mage for a second, who flushed pink again and furiously threw confetti on the ground in overflowing handfuls. The ninja had difficulty in not smiling as he turned his gaze back to the girl. "What about a cake?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"As far as I know, I thought the kid likes chocolate cake. Tomoyo had a fire stove made today, so you could use it."

Sakura beamed, nodding excitedly. "Thank you, Kurogane-san! Fai-san, is it okay if I go?"

Fai nodded, only looking at Sakura instead. "It's fine Sakura-chan, I'll finish up here."

Kurogane waited until the young girl had charged out of the room to shut the door. "Hey."

Fai paused and smiled. "Hey."

"You didn't fake your smile." Noted Kurogane.

Fai shrugged. "Is it bad?"

"No." He cleared his throat, looking away for a moment. "Not really…It's better than always lying."

"So you say." Fai's smile widened. "That was awfully nice of you to tell Sakura-chan about the oven."

Kurogane blushed lightly, scratching his cheek. "Um…Yeah, well she looked really into it…So I figured…Um yeah…"

Fai laughed, placing down the bowl of confetti. "How sweet, Kuro-sama's embarrassed."

Kurogane scowled, rolling his eyes. "Aren't you cheerful today?" He muttered, looking directly at the mage's blue orbs. "I thought you were still in shock over yesterday."

The mage blushed and looked to his feet again, shuffling them silently. "About that…"

"Hm?"

"…I-I…I wanted to say I was sorry. I should've asked someone to help, I know, but I didn't and even though I was a kid, I still had the mind of an adult. So, I'm sorry." Fai sighed, half smiling.

Kurogane looked surprised. "I never thought I'd hear the day."

Then, he frowned. "Did the Princess convince you to apologize?"

Fai smiled in return. "Did Tomoyo-hime convince _**you**_ to come and find me?"

He laughed as Kurogane didn't answer, a sour look instead covering his face. "You're so fun to tease."

"I don't know why I bothered to…" Kurogane sighed, turning away looking more frustrated than he had to begin with. "I should've figured you wouldn't take it seriously."

Fai hesitated, watching the ninja's reactions for a little longer before chuckling to himself.

"Thank you, Kurogane."

The tall man did a double-take, throwing him an incredulous look. "What did you say?"

Fai flushed pink, but managed to cover it up well with his next statement. "You only get to hear it once Kuro-pon. Too bad you missed it!"

Kurogane huffed, but smiled all the same, for once, amused. "Why do I get the feeling that you lost thousands brain cells before I managed to get you breathing again?" He muttered, running his tan hands through his hair.

To Kurogane's surprise, silence followed. He looked and had to suppress the urge to laugh. If he didn't know better, he would've said Fai was frozen with shock. But the deepening flush to his face was giving away the mage's embarrassment.

"W-Wait, what do you mean you 'got me breathing'?"

"Your lungs stopped working and you were unconscious." Retorted the ninja, pleased at the flip of usual situations. He could understand why the mage enjoyed harassing him so much. This was much easier to understand with the power in **his** hands now.

Fai scowled. "I know that." He whispered. Oh, he despised being a teenager, he just hated it, and it was like all of witty remarks had disappeared. He just couldn't come up with anything, it was absolutely ridiculous!

"Anyways, I don't know what to tell you but the kid said they called it mouth-to-mouth where he came from?"

He jumped, a loud appalled gasp escaping the blonde's mouth, his face no longer pink but red.

Fai cleared his throat. "Kuro-pon!" He forced a smile, laughing. "Did you take advantage of me in my sleep?"

The ninja frowned, cocking his head to the side a little as he studied Fai. "What are you so flustered about?" A theory then popped into his head. "Could it be…that you've never been kissed before?"

Fai looked like he was ready to run out the room, his face beyond the soft red and now the color of an apple. It was so frustrating, he wanted to defend himself and sass back, but his _stupid teenage mind couldn't think because of it!_

Kurogane, on the other hand, was trying not to smile, walking closer to the blond. "I hit you right on the mark, didn't I?"

He shoved the blonde's head down a bit, chuckling quietly. "It's nothing for you to worry about, I wouldn't even call it a kiss."

For some odd reason, while it was relaxing to hear him say that, the words were still causing his throat to burn.

"Funny. I would've thought that being the chick-magnet you always are, you would've had one already."

_It burned, why did it burn?_

Fai scowled, finally able to speak after his bout of silence. "You don't know what you're talking about Kuro-pon."

"Huh. So it IS possible to make you angry."

"Kuro-wan, just leave me alone. I need to finish decorating before Sakura-chan gets back."

"It's not such a big deal; stop being such a child over it."

"_But I am a child_." He hissed, glaring straight into the others red eyes. "If you haven't noticed over the past days, I am a child. I am not an adult anymore, there's nothing anyone can do besides you!" he enunciated each word with a prod into the ninja's chest.

Kurogane grabbed his hand firmly and rapped him on the head, a little less than gently. "You may _look_ like a child but you don't have the _mind_ of child. I know that."

"…Let go of me Kuro-rin."

"Why? Why is it such a big deal to you?!"

"Kuro-tan, please. Let go." Fai looked away, biting his lip. He hadn't meant to explode like that. This reminded him of why he hated being a teenager when he was younger—he hated it now, for crying out loud. He could never keep his mouth shut…

Kurogane sighed. "Hey. _Hey,_ Mage, look at me." He reached over and pulled Fai's face towards his direction. "I'm talking to you, look at me."

"Kuro-chu…what did you wish for that ended us up in this mess."

Kurogane flinched, not expecting that question. He instead, ignored it by doing what impulsed him the most. Anything, just anything to shut him up, so he wouldn't have to know, ANYTHING.

Just anything but this.

Fai blushed, eyes wide when he was finally let go from the firm grip. Kurogane himself was surprised at what he'd done, not sure whether to panic or not. He cleared his throat and started heading for the door. Fai jumped out of his shock. "Wait! Kuro-tan, I—Why—"

Kurogane paused at the door; hand still firm on the frame. "…Because it's a little different if you're conscious and not dying…" He pulled the door shut behind him, leaving the blond to his thoughts.

He pressed a hand to his forehead and once he was far enough away from the room, leaned it against the castle walls. His face was still warm, but it was nothing compared to what it had been like when he'd—

**NO!**

He groaned, closing his eyes.

_What the hell am I doing?

* * *

_

**I have the feeling, even before my beta (Dreamgirl96, I love you thank you!) confirmed my suspicions, that you, my dear readers, will hate me for this chapter, since it cuts off so abruptly. But this is nothing, I tell you this now. The drama is barely beginning, so stay tuned, and channel Wish will return shortly.**

**Love, Korovee**


	15. Smile

**Chapter 15**

**Smile  
**

_Dedicated to the 100th reviewer. I still love you guys. Send love to Dreamgirl96. She's epically indescribable, and without her help, these next last chapters would probably cease to exist. I am forever grateful for all of your guys support.  
_

"It's snowing!"

Those were the only words Kurogane heard through the noise as he escaped the party. He glanced back, curious at the tone. Sakura was holding Syaoran's hand -- the poor teen looked ready to pass out -- and pointing out the window. Both appeared excited, but Kurogane had traveled with these children long enough to know. He knew excitement from surprise and worry. It also helped knowing that the only magic user in the castle at the moment was Fai.

He also happened to be the only one who was not allowed at the party -- not that Kurogane blamed him for not being able to show up. Let's face it the mage was like a teenager -- Hell he **WAS** a teenager -- and there was one particular guest that had appeared due to unexpected travels. One that had already caused Kurogane enough mental grief.

He threw Ashura one last nasty glare before shutting the doors behind him. Hm…let's see…Snow falling in only one area…no one around in the halls… that left…

The ninja hauled himself onto the roof, grunting as he landed poorly on the tiles. Frowning to no one in particular, he vaguely wondered if he was losing his touch.

Fai was there, just as suspected, aimlessly waving one finger around in the air. Flakes danced from above and in front of him, and he gave an airy sigh. Kurogane took a moment to draw in the scene before him. The mage was biting his lower lip, which was turning a slight shade of blue from the cold. His gaze was transfixed on the flakes and his snow-frosted eyelashes half covered his sapphire orbs. A few snowflakes were still attached to his hair, slowly melting into his scalp. Some, however, lasted a little longer, giving the impression that he was frozen in time.

All in all, Kurogane had to admit it; Fai looked damn near beautiful in his moonlit serenade of self-pity…what the hell? Since when was he so poetic?!

Fai sighed a little louder this time, closing his eyes. Why did he have the sheer dumb luck of straggling into terrible situations? It wasn't fair. Kurogane had other things to do. It was no wonder why he wouldn't look for him –

"If you keep this up, you might actually get sick on your own for once in your lifetime."

Fai yelled, falling over on his side. Kurogane frowned, watching the blond curiously. "…Startled to see me?"

Fai scowled immediately, sticking out his tongue in a childish manner. "It's not my fault you left the party. I thought you were supposed to be Tomoyo's escort tonight."

"Souma took over for me. Something around the lines of I 'frighten the guests'."

"Oh."

An awkward silence.

"Um…Kuro-chi?"

"Haven't seen a moon this full in a long time." Kurogane sat down next to the blond, staring up at the starry sky. "Kinda strange."

"…Kurgs…"

"I wonder if Tomoyo's going to actually stay with Souma tonight. I hope she doesn't sneak off again—"

"Kurogane!" Fai snapped, his temper beginning to get the best of him. The ninja sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You get frustrated way too easily nowadays."

The blond blinked. Wait…was Kurogane…. teasing him just now? He blushed, furious at himself for having gotten worked up over it. Damn it. He hated it when they flipped situations…. Just like… earlier….

_Kurogane had warm lips…_

Fai flushed a puce shade and turned away. Kurogane frowned. What the hell?

"S-So how is everyone doing? Are they enjoying the party?" Fai stammered quietly, refusing to look back at the ninja. God knows how red his face was.

"Eh, It was okay. They're enjoying themselves, I guess. The kids are having a blast."

"S-Sakura-chan really likes Syaoran, huh?"

Kurogane nodded, sitting up. The trees were rustling a little. Maybe it would rain tomorrow…

"And Syaoran-kun really likes her too." Fai rubbed at his watering eyes, and yawned. Damn. That's what happens when he doesn't sleep enough. "Too bad they don't see it themselves."

"Yeah…" Kurogane sighed yet once more, watching the lights in Nihon flicker on and off. It was late, but there was a carnival going on for the first day of the month…

"Kuro-wan?" Fai looked over his shoulder, finally having gained the confidence to look at the ninja in the face. The crimson eyes distracted him for a moment, but he caught himself looking and quickly turned them towards the ground. "C-Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." Kurogane muttered absently. The town looked lively. They would most likely keep going until sunrise…

"Earlier…when we were talking downstairs…and I was throwing the confetti on the ground…Why…Why did you kis—"

The ninja stood up abruptly, looking set on something towards the village. Fai jumped back, stunned. "K-Kuro-tan?"

"Let's go."

"W-What?" What the…He was talking! In the middle of a conversation! Did the ninja fail to see how important and difficult this was to ask?!

"Come with me to the carnival."

_Damn it Kurogane, it's true you can be pretty dense, and you're probably emotionally frigid, but — WAIT W-WHAT?!_

Fai echoed his last thought out loud. Kurogane turned a little pink but smiled in amusement. When was the last time he'd seen the mage so surprised, he mused. "You heard me. I'm going to the carnival. Will you come with me?"

"B-But you _never_ go to the carnivals, let alone the town! Why now?"

Kurogane cleared his throat and extended his hand. "Because I have someone to go with now." He mumbled, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Now…will you go with me? You can ask me anything there…just…"

Fai stared at the open offer placed before him. Because…he had someone to go with now? Him? Fai Fluorite?

"Any day now…"

Fai relaxed, smiling. "Okay…" He murmured shyly, reaching up to grab his companion's hand.

Despite themselves, they both could not help thinking that the other felt so very warm.

* * *

"This is… different." Fai began unsurely, starring at the piece of caramelized apple before him. He held it up to the red lantern, as if the colored light would make it any different.

Kurogane shrugged. "You like sweet things, so I figured you'd enjoy this. If you don't want it though…."

Fai shook his head. No need to displease a sour ninja – he did that with ease as it was. He cautiously took a bite and immediately jumped up in surprise.

"T-This is great!"

Kurogane smirked. "Told you so."

The mage scowled, hip bumping him aside. Kurogane stared in disbelief. Did he just…_**Hip bump **_him?! Fai grinned, taking a seat next to fish stall. It was empty at the moment, as the owner had wandered off to find food. Kurogane, however, remained standing, instead, leaning against the stall while he watched the blond eat.

"…Kuro-chan?"

"I won't answer if you ever call me that again."

Fai rolled his eyes, tempted to say it again. Then again, he wanted a direct answer now, and in order to get that, he would need to play by Kuro-woof's rules. "…Kuro-sama." He reinitiated, closing his eyes as he gathered up his courage. "I take it…that you saved my life for a reason. You made a wish…that I don't know nor understand. It may… It may be difficult for you to express it directly, but if it's alright with you…I would like to know what you wished for."

Silence was the only response from the dark haired man. The noise from the carnival was filling the night air; all but a dull roar to Fai's ears, which still awaited his response. Finally, the rough voice he'd grown used to in their adventures rose up one more time.

"…I lied. Everyone lied. You didn't have a curse." He began in a monotone voice, looking up at the decorative lights. The fluorescent red lanterns, noted Fai, added to the color of his wine red eyes. "In fact, you weren't going to die. I just said that…So that maybe you would…Value your life a little more."

"But…you're such a hypocrite!" Snapped Fai, now visibly hurt. "How could that make sense? To give up your life so that I would value mine? Why don't you ever act on what you preach?!"

"Do you want to hear it or not?"

Fai bit back his long rant of vicious remarks, and nodded. Better now than never. "Continue."

"The deal wasn't for me to die either. I told you that so you wouldn't go looking for me before time." Kurogane cleared his throat. "I wished for your world to go back to normal."

Fai felt his jaw drop. "W-What did you say?"

"You…had a home. We all still have our homes, but you were the only one out of everyone who didn't. And well….damn, you looked so happy when you talked about it…"

Snapping out of his daze, he frowned. "Wait. Why were you bleeding that day?"

"Some of the price was an excess amount of my mixed blood. Royal and Vampire or something like that…" Kurogane frowned thoughtfully. "The other half was for me to disappear from this world in a staged death…And…We would meet when you were to appear in yours again."

Fai laughed nervously. "So…that's it…you were dying…because…of me?"

"No!" Kurogane sighed, turning a shade of pink. "…I just…wanted to see…a genuine smile…again…that's all…"

He slowly looked over at the blond. Fai blushed profoundly, and turned to his feet, unwilling to shed his embarrassed tears over something so stupid. He opened his mouth to speak hesitantly. "…Kuro…sama?"

"FAI-SAN! FAI-SAN! KUROGANE-SAN!!"

Both the men snapped their attention to Sakura's screams, despite not wanting to look away. Fai blinked away his tears, putting on his fake smile. "Sakura-chan? What is it? I thought Syaoran-kun was with you."

"Tha-That's it!" Sakura wheezed for air, hands on her knees as she fought to breathe. "H-He's gone! Kidnapped!"

Kurogane straightened up immediately. "_What do you mean kidnapped?!"_ He growled, on the offensive.

Sakura sobbed, beyond words at the moment. Fai wrapped an arm over her shoulders and sat her next to him. "Shush…Calm down…what do you mean? What happened?"

"I-I don't know, he said h-he would be right back, he-he was only going to talk with a-a guest…" She gulped back her massive gasps, brushing away her tears. "B-But then, Tomoyo-san escorted everyone out be-because she said he'd been kidnapped!"

Kurogane frowned. "No way. The kid's too smart, how would that happen? Who was it?"

Sakura turned pale, and looked to the ground. "…" She whispered something far too quietly.

Kurogane snapped. "Spit it out! The name!"

"…_Ashura-ou…"_

**

* * *

**

**Annnnd, we have our cliffhanger of the week. :D**

**Sorry I can't help writing them. It's in my natural instinctual drive now. Review if you wish!**


	16. Oops

**Chapter 16**

**Oops**

_Just a little more and we're done. My heart feels heavy for it, but I have to say I've enjoyed you're company. I hope you haven't grown sick of my cliffhangers yet. A thanks to reviewers and DreamGirl. Luv you guys._**  
**

* * *

The castle was in utter chaos. Even Tomoyo escorting guests to their rooms, it was easy to tell that there was something terribly wrong. Sakura pacing nervously around the room wasn't exactly helping either. Kurogane was barking angrily at his students and troops for not having kept a better eye out for the missing teen. Mixed in with his insults and curses were instructions and routes to search.

Meanwhile in the mess, Fai was left to wallow by the pool. In all honesty, he could not decide what he was feeling. Kurogane having said…_that_, it was hard to say he did not feel happy—aside from the drama and hysteria inside. Fai huffed, hot steamy breath turning warming his cheeks before he slapped them gently, standing up. Happiness aside, that wasn't the important thing at the moment. Syaoran was missing and that was all that mattered.

Marching his way inside the castle, he dramatically threw the doors aside. Everyone who was busy gave a moment's glance and continued on their ways. It was Fai. That was all, no one who could really help, supposed Fai irritably. He took a deep breath and brought in all his courage. God knows he would need it.

"I want to help find him. I can use my magic to trace him."

No one had ever seen Kurogane surprised at the castle, let alone jump. But it was astounding to see that these two sentences had made the ninja drop his sword and choke on his words. His blood red eyes narrowed viciously and he automatically shook his head.

"No. There is no way in hell I'm letting you do that."

Fai rolled his eyes. Typical masochism. He ignored him, instead marching straight up to Tomoyo. Kneeling down in front of her, he stared straight into her eyes—something he knew to be rude but hey, these were desperate times. Desperate time equals to desperate measures, right?

"Please Tomoyo-hime, I beg of you, please let me go and find him."

Tomoyo bit at the edge of her lip, worriedly as she looked from Fai to Kurogane and then to Fai again.

"Fai-san, I'd love to let you go…but it's incredibly dangerous, and you can barely control your magic…"

Fai shook his head immediately. "No. I can do it. I've always had better control over it when I have something in mind. It's not as though you don't know that Tomoyo-hime. Kuro-sama."

Kurogane huffed under his breath. "I figured as much… and you told me I was paranoid."

Tomoyo smiled gently. "Yes…I know."

"Well if you know," he began softly. "Why not let me go? Who would be better suited for a job like this?"

At this, her smile wiped off her face. Slowly she looked into the pleading sapphire eyes and shook her head. "I'd love to let you go Fai-san…but it's far too dangerous in the state you're in…and besides that…there is the matter with Kurogane…"

Fai snapped his attention to the ninja. He refused to meet his gaze. Tomoyo cleared her throat. "You see, when I put you under his care, I gave him full authority over you and all outsiders…so what he believes is best in this matter is something I must trustingly follow."

The blond ignored her words, instead rising to his feet. He stared hopefully at the red eyes that had somewhat lit up when they met half an hour ago. "Kuro-chan?"

"No."

Something inside Fai writhed in despair. "But Kuro-wan, you have to understand, you'll never find him otherwise, this is the only way—"

"I said no." Kurogane marched over and towered over his companion.

Fai. The mage. With the pleading eyes that made it so hard to say no and his soft face that made him want to melt inside. Biting back his emotions,

Kurogane shook his head. "That's final. You're not going anywhere."

_Again with the writhing and burning in his heart._ Fai fought back tears of frustration. "Kuro-sama, you can't do this, it's not fair! He's my friend too! I traveled with him too!!"

Kurogane sighed, turning away. "Kuro-sama! I love him too!"

The ninja kept walking. At this point, Fai lost his cool card and stamped his foot. "KUROGANE DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME!"

The ground surrounding the perimeter of the ninja's front exploded as a wall of ice blocked his way. Kurogane snarled, wheeling around to argue when he _really _saw Fai. Trust him, he'd seen some pretty nasty things but nothing had ever sent chills down his back like this did right now. In all honesty, he knew that the mage had some backbone in him, but still…He'd never looked so…_outraged._

Fai stormed straight up to his companions face. "Listen here Kurogane, you do not tell me what I can or cannot do. Especially in matters such as these! I will go out and look for Syaoran too, even if I have to do it myself! He is like my son too! I'm not fragile nor a pampered prince so let me go!"

Kurogane flushed red, knowing he'd been hit right on the mark. At a loss for words, he stared blankly back at the mage.

"…Um…Did…I miss something? Or did I just come back at the wrong time?

The golden trio, Mokona included, turned to the door in unison. Sakura's mouth dropped. Syaoran looked from one to the other nervously.

"I-Is everything okay?"

Sakura burst into tears, running over and latching onto his neck. Combined with her and the weight of the books in his arms, Syaoran collapsed over.

"WOAH!"

Fai stared, in shock. "…S-Syaoran-kun?"

Syaoran nodded, quickly flushing from a shade of pink to beet red. "Y-yes –S-Sakura?!"

Most likely to happy to really notice what she was doing, Sakura was busy planting sloppy wet kisses onto Syaoran's cheek.

"I-I'm S-so happy y-you're okay!!" She bawled loudly, fists covering her overflowing eyes.

Ignoring his flushed face, the teen sat up, and placing Sakura upright on the ground. "What do you mean?"

Sakura was too lost for words now, just downright sobbing to practically heaving with every breath she caught.

Realizing he'd probably never get an answer any time soon, Syaoran turned to the older of his companions. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

Kurogane glared at the teen sternly. "You disappeared. With Ashura. And didn't tell anyone. What do you think happened?"

Syaoran turned pale and look at his feet, pink over his cheeks again. "Oh…sorry…"

"May I explain?" Ashura peered over the corner. He looked around and smiled sheepishly, waving to Tomoyo. "Ah, Sorry for eavesdropping…but this is entirely my fault. I didn't kidnap him –one of the maids was kind enough as to inform me of your dilemma. I merely asked him about his excavations and somehow, we ended up wandering off the castle grounds in search of a book."

Syaoran nodded, abashed. "S-sorry to worry you. I forgot to tell anyone where I was going."

Kurogane scowled, towering over the teen. "What do you mean _sorry?!_ Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

Sakura interrupted the lecture with a sudden bawl. "I-I-I t-though you were…that you were…"

Syaoran sighed, reaching over and hugging her in hopes of helping somehow. "…Sorry. I should have told someone…it was my responsibility and I let you all down…"

Sakura didn't seem to hear—what with her sobbing into his yukata—but Kurogane grumbled under his voice and let his troops go. Fai walked over and ruffled the teen's hair before turning to Ashura.

The raven-haired man smiled. "You look familiar."

Fai returned the smile weakly. "Yes…I know. Thank you…for bringing him back."

"The pleasure is mine—It seems we have a lot in common." Ashura laughed. There was no malice in it, detected Fai with relief. His Ashura detector wasn't broken at least. "I'll have to ask him more some other time. I think they need a little more time to get…comfortable again."

Fai nodded, leaning against the wall, eyes beginning to close with exhaustion. How strange…Suddenly…He was so tired…

"Thank you…" Fai slumped to the ground. Kurogane jumped up and managed to catch the blond before he hit the floor.

"Fai?!"

* * *

**Told you I was going to leave a cliffie. Oh well. I probably won't update for a while -- I have three E's, Tests to take, Tests to prepare for, and Kingdom Hearts 2 to pown. Welcome the wonderful world of 11th grade. **

Love you guys still. Oh and Props to my boyfriend. He has good plot bunnies. Even If he doesn't realize their for shonen-ai fanfiction hehe...

Korovee


	17. A Change of Plans

**Chapter 17**

**A Change of Plans**

_Enjoy the last chapter. My last comments will be on the bottom for all to read.  
_

_By the way, the funny review award goes to the magical Eilonwyn, who for chapter 16 wrote the following.  
_

_**"Fail, Syaoran. Fail."**_

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"_Do you think he's doing this on purpose or unconsciously?" _

"_I'm not sure…"_

"_Will he ever grow up?"_

"I might one day," interrupted Fai coolly, leaning against the wall. The maid's blushed, and looked to each other for support. "But until then, you're going to have to deal with my diabolical plans."

Tomoyo laughed, rounding the corner. "It's alright." She insisted. "We'll clean up the mess after we're done."

The maids exchanged nervous looks. "B-But P-Princess…"

"It's fine."

Fai chuckled, watching the maids scamper off. "I can't believe you're actually going to let me go through with this Tomoyo-san."

"I like to think of this as a motivational adventure for the children." She chimed. "But they are right in a sense after all."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Well, you passed out just about a few hours ago…" Tomoyo frowned, fixing the arrangement of flowers and ribbon with great care. "Not even Kurogane knows that you are awake yet, and in all honesty, I really don't think you should be up and about…."

"But you can't help yourself when it comes to playing puppet master, can you?" teased Fai, leaning against the wall once more.

Tomoyo grinned. "Is it that obvious?"

"Why else would I ask for _your_ help when Yuuko and Mokona are both just around the corner?" Fai laughed. "Oh, and before I forget! Thank you for the clothes, they fit very nicely."

Tomoyo nodded blankly before looking up from the arrangement. Perfect. She turned to examine the former teenager. His hair was just as short as before, and while he looked healthy, he still had a bit to go. Just a little shorter than normal, it was a nice midpoint between teen and adult. In Fai's opinion, just fine.

"You're welcome. Well, I think our master plan is set, don't you?" Tomoyo cross-examined their work proudly, appraising everything one last time. Fai nodded, arms crossed over his chest. "Shall I call in the test subjects?"

"I think that would be a splendid idea."

Something huffed at the doorway. The blond mage turned around, smiling. Not surprisingly, Kurogane was standing there, dressed in his most formal attire. The ninja huffed again, glaring at the Priestess. "You couldn't have sent someone to tell me instead of letting me find out myself?"

Tomoyo smiled, unashamed. "You were always more of a see-to-believe sort of person Kurogane."

The ninja blinked, momentarily stunned by her answer. Fai smiled. How cute. He straightened up his yukata and walked towards the raven-haired man. "If you'd excuse us Tomoyo-san?"

She giggled, something that sent a steaming wave of blood to Kurogane's face. "It's fine. Meanwhile, I'll go find Syaoran and Sakura."

"That's a wonderful idea." Kurogane looked down at the mage skeptically.

Fai looked at the ground with a faint smile. "Would you take a walk with me around the corner?"

"…Alright."

Fai shut the doors behind him, skipping quickly to catch up to the ninja's long strides. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, suspicious now. "What are you so up and pleased about?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all." Fai smiled in an all-knowing manner. "How are you?"

"If anyone has the right to be asking that question, it should be me, don't you think?" Crimson eyes watched him carefully, gently examining him from head to toe. "What happened?"

"Yuuko thinks the stress ended up fixing the whole…whatever this was." Fai laughed quietly. This was a little…awkward. "But all in all, since I'm back to normal by default, it comes with a few quirks and surprises."

"…Like?"

"Well, for example," Fai held out his arm, smiling. A sleek pearl fox wrapped around his arm. It peered up at the ninja with unnaturally blue eyes, blinked, and fell apart like a powdery snowfall. Kurogane stared. "Something like that."

"What was that?"

"Not quite sure. But apparently, I have more power and more control over it that I ever did before." Fai looked over to the room. Soft conversation could be heard; looks like the plan was well in session. Good, the fireworks would begin soon. "It comes in handy sometimes."

"…Oh." Kurogane blushed. "You lie too much."

"Oh, do I now?"

"I know why you changed back. I-I've known for a while…"

"And…what would this be?"

Kurogane cleared his throat. "When we were…arguing earlier, I realized it. Somewhere in between all of that—Well, more when you asked to go in search of the kid—I pretty much wanted to knock your lights out. You were being so annoying, ignorant and defiant, the only way you would probably do what I said would be if you were unconscious." Fai fought the urge to smile. Kurogane, really. The only way he could ever really explain himself was with violence. It never changed. "But…" Fai zoomed back his attention. There was more? "I also knew…somehow…that if something…were to happen…to you…I would…it would…"

Kurogane's face twisted with frustration. Fai smiled, despite his blushing face. It was so cute, how he had so much trouble in explaining his feelings. It was especially amusing that he wasn't even really saying 'I love you' or anything like that.

_Oh well…_

"Kurogane…" He leaned closer, inching his way up on his toes. Kurogane froze. Fai smiled, his lips only a few inches away from the others. He could feel the warmth emitting from his partners cheeks. "You can shut up now."

Kurogane blinked, red eyes narrowing and closing as he smiled. "Shut up."

_It's only Kurogane._

He leaned forward and wrapping his arms around Fai's waist, lifted him into a kiss.

_It's okay if he can't say it…yet._

Suddenly, there was a loud and frightened familiar yell from the room next door. To Fai's dismay, Kurogane immediately pulled back in alarm, looking around frantically. "That was the kid! That was the kid, right?!"

Fai sighed, leaning up against the wall sadly. "Yes, yes, that was Syaoran-kun…"

Kurogane glanced back at him in disbelief. "Well, _don't you think we should go see what's wrong?!"_

He shrugged, sighing for a second time. "Not really, I'd rather not. Preferably, I'd enjoy making out with you again a lot more."

An expression between shock and embarrassment was somehow contorted on the ninja's face. It was actually king of amusing, but the sad story of an unfinished kiss was more of mood killer than he would've expected.

Syaoran burst out the room with a bang, looking beyond all comprehension. He looked around wildly and upon seeing his companions, immediately ran to them. "K-K-KUROGANE-SAN!! F-FAI-SAN!! ITS—I—WE—" He moaned and collapsed onto his knees with a loud smack against the wooden floor, holding out a bundle in his arms like a sacrifice. Kurogane leaned forward, unable to believe his eyes.

"_You didn't…"_ He whispered after a moment.

Fai shrugged. "Personally, I think it keeps things lively and interesting, not to mention we usually learn best through failures rather than our success, right?"

"I also helped!" Tomoyo chimed from across the gardens.

Kurogane wheeled around. "WHAT THE HELL!? THIS IS WRONG – UNDO IT!!"

"I'm afraid that now that it's done, Syaoran-kun is the only one with the capabilities to do so." She called out.

Kurogane turned back to glare at his partner. "You're in so much trouble now." He hissed.

Fai chuckled under his breath, watching Syaoran fumble around madly with his newest meddling. A confused and panicked Baby Sakura was wriggling in his arms, looking at each of her companions to the boy whom she'd fallen in love with. She looked at Fai and Tomoyo, confused. Fai grinned. Turning her into a child to help nurture their love was a wonderful idea.

_And if I'm lucky, it may leave us with more time alone. Together._

Fai blinked. Oh. He laughed again, surprising everyone. Wine red eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What?"

"You wouldn't believe it. I don't." He laughed a little harder. "There I was asking for more time with you…Amazing."

_Looks like I got my wish.

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**That's it folks. This is the end. We are at the final Tsubasa Station for Mage's Wish. It's sad to say it, but it's true. **

**I'm so grateful for your guys support, all the reviews were so encouraging, I couldn't help but write more each time.**

**I have to apologize for the ruthless onslaught of cliffhangers; Guilty as charged, I enjoyed writing them too much.**

**If anyone's interested in more of this, keep an eye out for my stories, I'll be posting up a Short Saku-syao centric one that's a follow up to The Mages Wish. A little more KuroFai on the side and some sweet SakuSyao so Sakura doesn't stay a baby for the rest of her life, hehe...**

**I love you guys. Love to all. Send love to my beta reader in crime, Dreamgirl96, who helped make these last few chapters possible. She makes a great buddy and I absolutely love her input. So go send her boxes of chocolate, cookies, and those gianormous teddy bears that people give out at school despite the clear hassle it makes to carry them around. **

**No but really. Thank you guys.**

**For everything. These last chapters have helped me alot through my problems lately, keeps me relaxed and it makes me damn near cry when someone says something sweet. And laugh my ass off when someone says something funny. **

**So thanks. **

**This is Korovee, signing off for the day.  
**


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